Never Alone
by Cassidy Alice
Summary: "When does the pain fade?" she asked. "Never," Katara replied. "But you're never alone."
1. Prologue: An Invitation

**A/N: **This is a sequel to my other story, Never Fades Away. Please review :)

~Cassidy Alice

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing :(

* * *

Prologue: An Invitation

Canoes were seldom used for travelling in the Southern Water Tribe so when Sokka and Katara found themselves stranded on an iceberg with their canoe smashed to pieces, Sokka was positive he was going to get a lecture from his sister. He waited patiently for his sister to begin rambling about why travelling by canoe wasn't a particularly clever idea on his part, but much to his surprise, she began laughing. Sokka raised an eyebrow wondering what on earth his sister found comical about their situation.

"This isn't really funny, Katara."

"Oh come on. It doesn't remind you of anything?"

Sokka looked puzzled. "Should it?"

She shook her head, laughing. "This is exactly what happened nine years ago, when we found Aang, remember?"

Sokka smiled.

"It's good to know your boating skills have improved," Katara teased.

"I know," Sokka began but stopped when he realized his sister was taunting him. "Katara!"

She laughed. "Come on. It looks like I'm waterbending us there."

Sokka reluctantly followed his sister as she slowly created a bridge of ice towards the small house that stood on another iceberg in the distance. He hadn't been particularly keen on going with Katara that morning, but it had been his idea so she had dragged him with her.

After Sozin's Comet, the two had returned to the South Pole where Sokka helped his father while Katara taught waterbending. Once in a while, Sokka would walk in to speak with her but he always entered just as the students were learning new moves and invariably got drenched. That was how he had met Ying, one of the oldest students learning from his sister. She had been a scrawny, little teenager who had been practicing water whips and accidentally hit him with one. Of course, when he told Katara, she had just laughed.

Ying, in many respects, was like Katara. She was a gifted waterbender, but she hadn't found a master until her family moved to the Southern Water Tribe. At first, she had been reluctant to learn under Katara mainly because they were only a few years apart, but she was eager to learn once she saw just how well Katara had mastered waterbending. She excelled under Katara's supervision and in no time at all, she had beaten some of the best waterbenders in her class.

Around the same time, Katara and Sokka received a letter from Zuko asking for help. Rebels had never really posed a threat but suddenly, there had been an increase in rebellions in the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom. Zuko, Aang, and the Fire Nation army had spent the last few months trying to suppress them, but progress was slow. With all their attention focused on the Fire Nation, the Earth Kingdom was vulnerable. The Earth King admitted that he didn't have enough troops to stop all the rebellions and so Sokka and Katara had promised to pick up Suki and Toph and help them. They hadn't planned on adding another member to their team until Sokka had seen Ying's abilities and had asked Katara if Ying could accompany them to the Earth Kingdom.

That was how the two siblings found themselves in the young girl's house, waiting for her parents' approval.

"You want Ying to help you?" Her father asked.

Sokka nodded. "We could use all the help we can get. Unfortunately, the rebels are terrorizing the Earth Kingdom and the King is short on troops."

Ying's mother smiled. "I don't mind sending her as long as she is willing to go. I know that she's been dying for some adventure."

"It's dangerous, though," Katara admitted. "She could get hurt."

"We know," The girl's father said. "I was part of the group of men who left the tribe to help your father during the war, Katara. My wife and Ying briefly lived in the Earth Kingdom, then. We're used to the danger. And we have the utmost confidence that you and your friends will do everything you can to help her should something happen."

Sokka and Katara nodded.

"We have a condition, though," Ying's mother said. "I understand you and your friends have connections with the Order of the White Lotus."

"Our grandfather is a member," Sokka said. "And we know the other members."

"Both of Ying's grandfathers were also members when they were alive. We would like to take their place and help, if possible. From what I understand, there's still a lot of work that needs to be done to restore the world to what it once was."

Sokka and Katara exchanged glances. "You want to come too?" Sokka asked.

The two nodded.

"But what if something happens to you?" Katara wondered. "What would Ying do?"

"She has an elderly aunt in the Northern Water Tribe," the father said. "If anything should happen to us and Ying can't help take her there. But otherwise, keep her with you until she is old enough to live on her own."

"Isn't this a bit extreme?" Sokka asked. "It's almost like you're giving us custody of her."

Ying's mother chuckled. "In a way, we are. We just want to make sure she's alright if anything should happen to us. I know we seem insane for wanting to help stop the rebellions, but for years, that's what we've done. I was a nurse in the Earth Kingdom and I helped heal soldiers while my husband served under your father during the war. We played a small part in bringing Ozai down and we'd like to do the same again."

Katara smiled gratefully. "We could always use more help. Thank you."

"When do we leave?" the father demanded. "I want to make sure we're all ready."

"Two days," Sokka responded. "We have a couple of friends to pick up on the way."

And as Sokka and Katara left the house, Sokka could have swore he heard the father laughing in delight.

* * *

Far away, locked in one of the most guarded prisons in the world, a certain firebender sat, cursing her bad luck. It was bad enough she was imprisoned, but to be sharing her cell with an old woman was insufferable. She only hoped that the old lady would die soon and let her spend the reminder of her miserable life alone.

"We're going to be here a long time, my dear," the old woman said. "So we might as well be friends."

Wonderful, she thought. The old woman wants to be friends. She must be senile.

"Who are you?" the firebender snapped. "And what makes you think I'd want to be friends with a hag like you?"

"I have something you want, Azula."

Azula glared at her. "That's _Princess_ Azula to you. Who are you?"

"I'm Hama."

"What are you in here for? Killed your grandchildren?"

"No," the old woman replied. "I don't have any. I tried to reason with Katara, but things didn't go according to plan."

"Isn't she that Water Tribe peasant that helped the Avatar?"

Hama nodded.

"She and her friends are the reason I'm here," Azula growled. "I bet she's happy."

"Ob, but she doesn't have to be. I was so close to getting my revenge, but…"

"I'm not interested in your stupid revenge plots," the former princess snapped. "I just want _my_ revenge."

"I could help you."

"How?"

"I'm a waterbender. Years ago, when your people took me captive, I discovered the art of bloodbending. It was how I escaped from a Fire Nation prison."

"Bloodbending? What are you rambling about?"

"The art of controlling people, my dear."

"And how is that going to help us get out?"

"Just wait until the next full moon, Azula."

"_Princess_ Azula, granny. And why should I trust you?"

"You don't have to. We have a common enemy, though. We stand a better chance working together than working alone."

"Fine," Azula grumbled. "But if you're lying, you'll be sorry."

Hama smiled. "When it comes to revenge, I never lie. And Princess?"

"What now?" Azula wanted to know.

"Don't even think of double crossing me. With bloodbending, you'd be my puppet."

"Listen closely, granny," the princess snarled. "_You _don't even think of double crossing me. I could have you shot full of lightning before you could even blink. I'm not to be toyed with."

"Then we are similar," Hama said, an eerie smile lighting up her countenance. "I think this will work quite well."


	2. Chapter I: Oblivious

Chapter I: Oblivious

Her life ended on that gray, bleak day when the pain and shock of watching her parents die before her set in. She shivered despite the humid summer air that filled the room. How did it come to this? She wondered, glancing out the window where a steady rain fell, matching her mood. She scrubbed at the tears that fell from her eyes. How could her parents fall? How could they leave her alone? Why hadn't she died with them?

_Because Katara protected me._

The thought was sickening. It made her stomach churn and her blood boil. Katara had denied her the one thing she really wanted, the one thing she _needed_. To be with her parents. And suddenly, she hated her with every fiber of her being.

* * *

Sokka glanced at the closed door of Ying's room and then at Zuko. He opened his mouth to say something, but Zuko shook his head.

"I'm not trying to talk to her," he said. "She won't listen. Besides, Aang and I supposed to be here to discuss tactics with you, not help over-emotional waterbenders."

Sokka snorted. "Who are you kidding? You're down here because you got tired of all the rebels in the Fire Nation."

Zuko rolled his eyes. "Whatever. The point is, I can't talk to Ying. I was supposed to stop the rebels that killed her parents, but I couldn't."

"Maybe Mai could…" Sokka shook his head. "Never mind. I bet Toph could try…"

"No," the blind earthbender replied, curtly.

"Sokka, you know none of us can help. She won't listen to us."

"Maybe Aang could…"

Zuko groaned. "Did you hear her last night when Katara tried talking to her? She blamed Katara and Aang for all of this."

Sokka sighed, wishing more than ever that Katara would return from the market soon. He wasn't too sure he could pacify the younger girl; offering condolences and consolation wasn't something he was very good at. And he was in no mood to be attacked again and spend three hours trying to defrost his feet. He made a mental note to remind his sister about that. Emotional waterbenders could wreak havoc if they weren't careful.

A door opened and closed Katara entered, carrying an armful of groceries followed by Suki with two baskets in her hand. Sokka motioned to Ying's room and Katara just nodded. Wordlessly, she handed the groceries to Toph and Mai before setting off for Ying's room. She knew all hell was about to break loose, but frankly, she didn't care. Ying's dismal mood was beginning to irritate her.

"Go away," Ying said as Katara knocked on her door.

Katara used her waterbending to open the lock. She wasn't surprised to find the room a mess and Ying sitting huddled on her bed. "What are you doing?" she asked, tiredly.

"Leave me alone."

"You think any of that is going to help?" Katara demanded.

"This is your fault," the sixteen year old cried, glaring at her. "If it wasn't for you and your stupid brother, my parents would be alive."

"Your parents came here knowing the consequences," Katara replied. "They knew how dangerous it was."

"So you let them die?" Ying spat.

"We didn't _let_ anyone die," Katara responded, an edge to her voice. "They…"

"Just leave me alone," Ying said. "You've never lost anything; you don't know what it feels like."

"_I don't know_?" Katara repeated and Ying flinched, wishing she hadn't brought up the subject. Katara looked ready to kill. "I know better than anyone. My mother was murdered by the Fire Nation. I've seen so many people die and I've lost a lot more than you could ever imagine."

Ying could have sworn she saw fire burning in Katara's eyes but she was too mad to care. "Well blame it on the Avatar, then. It's his fault. The war ended nine years ago, but the world isn't a better place."

"He's one person," Katara snapped. "You try fixing a hundred years worth of problems by yourself."

"So what? Rebels are still killing innocent villagers and getting away with it, thanks to him. I can't believe you wouldn't let me find the man who killed my parents." Ying muttered.

"What if he killed you?" Katara wanted to know. "How would that help anything?"

"It would have been better than doing nothing."

"Not if…"

"If I had gone after him, I wouldn't have died. I would have killed him long before he could have even thought about killing me."

"That sounds wonderful," Katara responded, sarcastically. "Why can't you just forget about him? It's hard, but…"

"_It's not just hard. It's impossible_."

Katara took a step back. "What did you say?"

"I said, it's not just hard, it's…"

"Don't say that." Katara snapped, covering her ears.

Ying stared at her sullenly. "Why? Does it bother you?" She laughed, mirthlessly. "Well, it's true. _It's not just hard. It's…_"

"Don't ever say that again," Katara snapped. "I swear, if I ever hear you say those words…"

"You can't control me," Ying cried, standing up. Her brown eyes were glazed with resentment. "Don't try to stop me."

A few tears suddenly spilled from Katara's eyes and Ying was taken aback. Was the twenty three year old waterbender crying because Ying had yelled at her? Ying frowned. What right did Katara have to cry anyway?

Katara wiped them away and her eyes transformed to an ice blue so quickly that Ying became nervous.

"Get up."

The harshness of Katara's voice made Ying jump; she wasn't used to such harsh treatment.

"What?"

Without warning, Katara grabbed her hand and hauled the younger girl off the floor and to the kitchen before forcefully shoving her down into a chair and placing a plate of food before her.

"Eat."

Ying glanced at the food and then at Katara. "No."

Katara groaned in exasperation and walked away. Ying heard her door slam shut and flinched. Sokka and Aang, who had been helping Toph, Mai, and Suki with the groceries, exchanged glances and went after Katara.

"I don't know why she's acting like she understands me," Ying spat, pushing the food away from her and watching the Avatar and the Water Tribe warrior go after Katara. "She never did and she never will." And without another word, Ying got up and walked out into the rain.

Toph frowned and followed her out, trailing her until Ying stopped in a small clearing in the woods. From the vibrations she emitted, the blind earthbender knew she was crying. She sighed. She had promised herself that she wasn't going to get involved in this, but Ying was being downright ridiculous and Katara was beginning to snap.

"You know you're wrong," Toph said.

Ying just glared at her, forgetting that the earthbender was blind. "No I'm not. None of you know what I'm going through."

"Excuse me?" Toph's tone was icy. "We don't know? I think we have a pretty good idea, especially Katara."

"Hardly," Ying spat, turning away from the twenty-one year old.

That pushed Toph over the edge. It took all the self-control she had to not earthbend the girl into the river. "You have no right to blame Katara for what happened to your parents when they knew how dangerous it was. And if you think she doesn't understand you, then you really don't know her."

"I think I do," Ying said, coldly. "She's just…"

Toph frowned. "No, she wouldn't understand you at all because she had to watch firebenders raid her village and murder her mother. That certainly wouldn't traumatize an eight year old girl."

"It's not the same," Ying protested. "She was so little then, losing her mother wouldn't have made a difference."

"Listen to yourself," Toph said. "Do you hear what you sound like? Of course it made her difference. Do you know what she's been through since then? She took on so many responsibilities. It was like she grew up over night. And when we travelling during the war, she was what kept the group together during the hard times."

Ying had heard about their adventures and hardships, but she was still adamant. "It's still not the same."

"You don't think so?" Toph asked. "Then you don't know anything. If you think Katara has led an easy life, if any of us have led an easy life, you're wrong."

"Regardless, I'm sure she hasn't felt anything like what I have," Ying muttered.

"No," Toph said. "She probably felt much worse. When she was twelve, her father left to fight in the war. For a while, she and Sokka didn't know when he was coming back or even if he was alive. The uncertainty is worse than you can imagine."

"How?" Ying demanded.

"How would you feel if your parents had left you to fight in the war? You wouldn't have seen them; you wouldn't have known whether they were alright or not."

"My parents didn't," Ying said, bluntly. "Besides I don't think Katara even cares."

Toph muttered something inaudible before dragging Ying back into the house and leaving her outside Katara's room. "You listen to what she says and then tell me she doesn't care," the blind earthbender hissed before turning her back on the younger girl. Ying pressed her ear to the closed door and with bated breath, listened to Katara's muffled voice on the other side.

* * *

"I don't know what's wrong with me," Katara said, burying her face in her hands.

"What do you mean?" Sokka asked.

"I think I just convinced Ying that I hate her or something. I was so mad when she…"

"I don't think so," Sokka interrupted, trying to console her. "She'll come around; just give her time."

"Sokka, we promised her parents we'd help her. How are we supposed to do that if she won't listen to us?"

"She will…eventually."

"Maybe you're worrying unnecessarily," Aang said. "It didn't sound like she hated you."

Katara looked up at him. "You didn't hear what she said."

"Actually," Sokka said. "We did. You two weren't exactly…quiet."

Katara frowned.

"Why'd you yell at her if you didn't want her to hate you?" Sokka wanted to know.

"She wanted to hunt down the man who killed her parents," Katara whispered. "And I told her to forget about him."

"So? What's so bad about that?"

"She said it's not just hard, it's impossible," Katara cried. "I said the same thing to Aang nine years ago when I tried to find the man who killed Mom. I almost killed him, Sokka. I couldn't let Ying do something like that. Besides, we told her parents we'd help her and letting her kill someone is not going to help her."

Sokka blinked in surprise. "You're really worked up about this, aren't you?"

Katara nodded. "Probably more than I should be, but hearing her say those words was scary. It really seemed like she wanted to kill the guy. And I started to wonder if I had sounded like that all those years ago."

"You mean if you sounded that insane?"

Katara nodded.

Aang smiled good-naturedly. "Not insane, just a little crazy, but we all do sometimes."

Katara gave a small laugh. "I guess so, but still. It was unsettling. Back then, I used to think that finding the man who killed our mother and making him pay was what he deserved. But now, looking back, I was just crazy."

Sokka nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you were. Especially when you said I didn't love Mom like you did."

Katara bit her lip. "Sorry."

"So what are you going to do about Ying?" Aang wondered. He didn't tell her that he knew the young waterbender was standing on the other side of the door.

"Sokka and I promised her parents, we'd help her and I'm not breaking that promise," Katara said, resolutely.

"What if Ying doesn't want your help?" Sokka asked.

Katara rolled her eyes and Aang just laughed. "She's getting it whether she wants it or not."


	3. Chapter II: Missing

Chapter II: Missing

Azula sat in the darkness of her cell and choked back a sob as Hama continued humming to herself. She understood that the prison had more inmates than cells, but was it really necessary to put a senile old woman with her, _Princess Azula? _The only thing that kept her from destroying the old woman was Hama's promise to break Azula out of that filthy excuse for a cell. It had better work, Azula thought, glaring at the old woman who probably couldn't see her.

"It's a bit chilly in here, isn't it?" Hama said, turning towards her. Azula just kept silent. "I wonder…" Her voice trailed off as she waved her hands in the dark.

"What are you doing?" Azula snapped, watching Hama.

"Dry air," was Hama's reply.

"What?"

"They're using dry air so I can't waterbend."

"So you can't break us out of here?" Azula gave a hard laugh. "I knew it."

"Patience, Princess. I need the full moon," Hama gave an eerie smile and glanced out the tiny window in the cell. "In another few days, we should be out of here."

* * *

"You didn't tell Katara," was the first thing Ying said to Aang the following morning.

The airbender, who had been feeding Appa, turned around. "Was I supposed to?" he asked.

Ying shrugged. "I just thought once you found me out there, you'd have told her I was eavesdropping or something."

"You two have got enough problems as it is. Besides, you don't seem like the type of person who eavesdrops, so you must have had a reason."

Ying's eyes widened momentarily, but she nodded. "Toph sort of forced me. I was really mad yesterday when…well, you were there so you know. Toph told me to listen."

He grinned. "That sounds like Toph."

"So is what Katara said true? Did I really say what she said nine years ago?"

Aang nodded.

"Freaky," Ying muttered. "So did she ever kill the guy?"

"What do you think?"

Ying looked down at her feet.

"I don't understand how she did it," she said, so softly that Aang could barely hear her.

He shrugged. "Why don't you ask her?"

Ying gave a small nod. "I've been meaning to apologize, but somehow, I don't think she'd be too happy to see me."

Much to her surprise, Aang burst out laughing. Even Appa shook his head as if Ying's idea was downright silly.

"What?" Ying demanded, feeling a little insulted that the Avatar's sky bison was making fun of her. "

"Don't worry. Katara won't be mad at you."

"I hope not," Ying whispered, setting off to find Katara.

Ying found the waterbender with Suki at the stream, scanning the trees along the opposite bank. From the basket of clothes at their feet, it looked like they were supposed to be doing laundry, but Ying could tell they weren't really getting anything done.

"I thought I saw…"Katara let her voice trail off.

"Something in the trees?" Suki finished, gazing apprehensively at her. Katara nodded. "I think it's unlikely that both of us are imagining things."

Katara shrugged. "Maybe we both are. We're both a little tired."

"Maybe," Suki said. She returned to doing the laundry.

Ying stepped forward, hesitating slightly. "Katara?"

Katara brightened when she noticed the younger girl coming.

"I'm sorry about how I acted," Ying apologized. "It was wrong of me to blame all of you for everything that happened. I guess I was just…" Ying stopped mid-sentence and gazed at the trees.

"What's wrong?" Suki asked, noticing how Ying suddenly became paler.

"Mercenaries," Ying cried as several men swam across the river in their direction. Suki muttered something under her breath and withdrew her fan.

"They've got bows and arrows," Katara noted, nimbly dodging a wooden arrow that whizzed in her direction. "They must not be benders."

"Katara, they're firebenders," Suki pointed out. "They must be looking for…"

"Watch out," Ying warned as several burly men approached Suki. Ying stepped forward to help her but the firebenders were quicker. Ying recoiled at the intense heat, closing her eyes and praying that the Kyoshi warrior somehow made it out of the inferno alive and unscathed. When the firebenders stopped, and when Ying was brave enough to open her eyes, she noticed Suki's golden fans charred and broken and her shield stained black from the fire. Suki herself was lying on the ground, her shallow breathing the only signs of life.

"Katara," Ying croaked, but the other girl didn't respond. "Katara?" She glanced around frantically. "Katara, where are you?" She spotted the waterbender several hundred feet away, fighting off several soldiers. She seemed relatively uninjured except for a gash on her palm where an arrow had hit her. But she was greatly outnumbered. With a sinking feeling, Ying realized there was no way Katara could win.

"Get Sokka and Aang," Katara cried to Ying, blocking several blows. "I need help."

Ying turned to go but there was a strange noise that echoed throughout and Ying heard a loud splash. The soldiers suddenly stirred like angry wasps and for a full two minutes, Ying couldn't see anything but flashes of red and black and an occasional flash of blue. When the commotion died down, a wounded soldier emerged from the river, clutching his side and glaring at the fallen Katara.

"If she wasn't the Princess's maid, I'd kill her," he growled.

A larger man, the leader, held up his hand. "Take the Princess and the girl and meet back at the rendezvous point. I'll take care of the other girl." He turned to Ying. "We can't have any witness, can we? I'm really sorry."

Ying shrieked in terror and attempted to run away but the soldier caught her.

"Don't worry. I promise this won't hurt." The soldier raised his sword and prepared to strike but his companion stopped him.

"I hear someone coming. Let's go."

The soldier grunted and releasing Ying, disappeared into the forest with the rest of the rebels.

* * *

By the time Sokka, Zuko and Aang found Ying, she was nearly in hysterics.

"We heard a scream," Zuko said. "What happened?"

"They're gone," Ying sobbed. "It was an attack."

"Who's gone?" Sokka asked.

"Katara and Suki," Ying explained sobbing harder. "I couldn't do anything. I tried to help, but I couldn't do anything."

"They'll come back," Sokka reassured her. "Suki and Katara put up a fight."

"You don't understand," Ying nearly screamed. "They were badly outnumbered and the rebels were firebenders. Suki could be dead and Katara was injured. I should have helped them, but I just froze."

"No one's blaming you," Sokka said. "It's fine. We'll find a way to get them back."

"What exactly happened?" Aang asked, picking up the remnants of Suki's fan.

"A bunch of firebenders attacked. They nearly killed Suki and then went after Katara. She was holding them off for a while, but I think she injured a soldier and then they all went after her. I don't know what happened next; it happened so fast I couldn't see. But Katara threw a solider into the stream and the firebenders started creating a racket and in the end, she was just lying there." Ying wiped away a few tears and pointed to the bloodstained grass.

Sokka's eyes widened. "Oh no."

"It's not hers," Ying said. "That blood isn't Katara's. It's the soldier she injured."

Sokka heaved a sigh of relief, but Zuko's eyes narrowed.

"I've had it with these stupid rebels," the Fire Lord said. "Mai and I are going back to the Fire Nation today and we're going to stop them before they hurt someone else. I guess you all will stay here, right?"

Sokka nodded. "They have Suki and my sister. I'm not leaving this place until I find them."

Zuko nodded.

"What if we don't find them?" Ying asked. "The rebels don't exactly kidnap people just for fun. The people they kidnap either turn up dead later or they disappear."

"I don't care what they do," Sokka snapped. "I already lost my mother. I'm not losing Katara or Suki."

Zuko glanced around. "Why didn't Toph sense them coming?"

Ying sniffed."They attacked from the trees. Toph can't sense vibrations if they're not on the earth, right?"

Zuko scowled. "They must have known who they were after."

"I don't think so," Aang said. "If they knew, I don't think they would have attacked with bows and arrows."

"But they also had swords and fire bending," Ying said, sniffling some more. "They had more than enough weapons."

"I don't care how many they have," Sokka said. "Like I said, I'm not doing anything until I find my sister and Suki."

* * *

Katara didn't know how long they sat there in the dark room, but she was thankful that neither she nor Suki were tied up. She closed her eyes and tried remembering how she and Suki had gotten there. She only remembered fighting the rebels, then total darkness. She frowned and leaned back against the hard brick wall. It was infuriating not knowing what had happened. She only hoped they got the answers soon.

The door to their room suddenly opened and several men entered, dressed in the same red and black garb as the rebels. The tallest man hauled Katara to her feet and pushed her aside, making his way to Suki. She met his gaze unflinchingly. After inspecting her for a second, he turned around to face his subordinates.

"You incompetent idiots! That," he cried, pointing to Suki. "Isn't Princess Azula."

"But Lieutenant," One man said. "You told us that she had short brown hair and…"

"When I gave you a description, I didn't think you'd pick any girl who matched those qualities. You all told me you knew what she looked like."

"Vaguely," the man muttered, sheepishly.

The Lieutenant groaned. "She's not Azula and that girl," he said, pointing to Katara. "Isn't her maid. You fools. Tie them up. On second thought, _I'll _do it." He grabbed Katara and tied her hands together and did the same with Suki. "Are you two benders?"

Neither Katara nor Suki responded.

"That one is a waterbender," someone said. "The short-haired one probably isn't. I didn't see her bending at all."

"Idiots. Azula is a firebender. I can't believe you brought back the wrong girls. Tomorrow, we'll take the bender to our northern rendezvous point and the other girl to our next one. In the meantime, lock them up and keep an eye on them." Casting a contemptuous look upon his subordinates, the Lieutenant left the room. The rebels glanced apprehensively between themselves before leaving Katara and Suki and plunging their cell into darkness once more.

"I can't believe they thought I was Azula," Suki said. "They really must be stupid."

"How are we going to get out of this?" Katara wondered.

Suki shrugged. "We'll figure something out."

They didn't know how long they sat in that cell, but it was hours before a rebel came to give them food. He spent a good fifteen minutes rambling before he placed one tray in front of Katara and another in front of Suki.

"You're actually very pretty," he said to Katara. Even though her hands were tied, her feet weren't and Katara kicked him as hard as she could. The rebel howled in pain before slapping her. "I bet your friend here isn't as rude." Suki dumped her food on him before turning away. Grumbling, the rebel picked up the trays and exited the cell.

"You shouldn't have kicked him," Suki said, watching his figure disappear. "Next time he comes, he'll either bring reinforcement, or he'll tie your feet too."

"How do you know?"

Suki glanced at her feet. "I learned from experience. During the war, we got captured several times. I always fought back in any way I could, but then I learned that the more you resist, the more they try to break you. The best way to escape is to pretend to be docile and escape when they let their guard down." She gave a small laugh. "Sokka once told me you were stubborn and headstrong, that you always fought back no matter what. If you hadn't been such a powerful waterbending master, you'd have made a great Kyoshi warrior."

And Katara smiled.

* * *

Suki woke up the following morning feeling tired and sore. The sun was shining through the cracks in the wall, filling the cell with a soft golden light. She got up and stretched, flexing her wrists and wishing her hands weren't still bound. It took her several minutes, though, before she realized Katara was gone.

"Get up girl," a rebel said, unlocking the door. "I'm taking you to a different place. Let's go."

Suki stood up. "Just you? If I was Princess Azula…"

"Well, you're not, so let's go."

Suki smiled and walked past the rebel. The instant she was out of the cell, though, she took off running. Her rebel escort never caught up with her.

* * *

Katara had spent most of the night fighting off unconsciousness. The foul smelling rebels that led her to her new prison reeked so badly she could have sworn she would have fainted if they hadn't been walking outside. The stench, however, was the least of her problems. Her hand was bleeding again and she had been barefoot when the rebels had taken her. Walking along a gravelly path now certainly wasn't helping her feet. They were already sore and sleep made her so tired that she stumbled every now and then despite the level path.

"How much longer?" A rebel complained, prodding another unknown prisoner along. "My feet hurt."

"A few hours maybe." Another replied.

Katara sighed. She wasn't sure if she could walk like this for another few hours. The other prisoner looked even more tired, she noticed. She didn't even know how he had joined them. Had he been forced to walk from another rendezvous point? He was a young man, perhaps not more than twenty, but with his dark black outfit and red headband, he reminded her of a certain airbender disguised as a boy named Kuzon that she had danced with in a cave nine years ago. She smiled at the memory, wondering what Aang was doing at the moment. With a pang, she realized that he and Sokka were probably out looking for her. Not that they would find her or Suki. The rebels must have taken them at least fifty miles away, though how, she wasn't quite sure. Part of her hoped that Sokka and Aang wouldn't go looking for her, that Suki would somehow escape and tell them what happed. But the other part of her hoped that either her brother or the Avatar would find her.

"I wish we could catch some bigger fishes," a rebel said. Katara tried to figure out if he was the same one who had locked her up, but they all looked the same so she gave up trying. "I don't want to keep transporting nobodies like these two to other places. What if we caught the Fire Lady?"

"She's nothing but a figurehead," another replied. "We should go after the Earth King."

"Too heavily guarded."

"What about the Avatar?"

"He'd win."

"What about the Avatar's girl?"

Katara stumbled, then.

"I don't know. What would we do with her?"

"Take her to the base and let Princess Azula finish her off."

"We have to bust the Princess out of prison first and either way, I think we'd run into problems there. I'm sure the Avatar will be furious once he finds out his girlfriend was kidnapped."

_He doesn't have one_. Katara thought.

"I'll give the Avatar some credit," a third rebel said. "He's been sticking to the same girl for nine years. Not most guys would. As the Avatar, he could be with some pretty important girls, but he chose that waterbender."

Katara stumbled again. Spirits, she thought. I'm not actually listening to this and believing it, am I?

"She must be some girl then. Quite beautiful too, I heard."

"That's what they say. Rumor has it that the Avatar met the three most beautiful women in the world, but he still said that his waterbender was prettier than all of them. Must really love her or something."

And for the hundredth time, Katara stumbled.

The rebels all exchanged glances.

"We have to get that waterbender."

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry I haven't updated in a really long time. I've had do much work to do lately :( But on the bright side, now that some of my work is out of the way, I might be able to update sooner. In the meantime, please review and thanks for all the wonderful reviews I've gotten so far. :)

~Cassidy Alice


	4. Chapter III: The Avatar's Girl

Chapter III: The Avatar's Girl

"Sokka, wake up," Toph whispered.

"Not now," the warrior mumbled, turning over in his sleeping bag. "Sleepy."

"Sokka," Toph hissed, but the warrior just started snoring. "Sokka, the food's getting cold."

"Not buying it, Toph," he mumbled, opening his eyes slightly. "That might have worked nine years ago, but I'm a lot smarter now."

"Then wake up, you idiot," Toph cried, snatching his pillow from him. "Suki's back." Sokka got up so fast that Toph didn't even know he was up until she felt his vibrations grow fainter as he walked away.

* * *

Ying knew she should have been doing the laundry, but she felt so useless just washing clothes while Katara and Suki were missing. She wanted to do something, to help in some way _other_ than laundry but perhaps _this_ wasn't the best idea. She had never steered a sky bison before. She hadn't even _seen_ one until she had met Aang.

"Do _you _know how to get to the Fire Nation, Appa?" Ying whispered, bending down to talk to the bison. He grunted in response. "Great. Yip yip." Appa didn't move. Ying tugged at his reins. "Come on, boy. Fly."

"I don't think he's going anywhere."

Ying laughed weakly as Aang walked up to her. "You won't find them in the Fire Nation."

"Who?" Ying asked, laughing weakly.

"Katara and Suki."

"I wasn't…" Ying sighed. "Then where do you think they'd be?"

Aang shrugged. "They could be anywhere really."

"Then why aren't we looking for them?" Ying demanded."

"Because Sokka's…"

"You're all not doing anything," Ying snapped. "Sitting around is going to…"

"Suki's back," Aang interjected. "And Sokka's talking to her."

"When did she get here?"

"A few hours ago."

"And no one told me?"

"You tried to sneak away, remember?"

"Oh."

Aang turned in the opposite direction. "Are you coming?"

"Where?"

"To help us find Katara and the rebels."

Ying nodded and followed him back to the house.

* * *

"So you have no idea where Katara is?" Sokka asked, crestfallen.

Suki shook her head. "I'm sorry, Sokka. But she was gone the following morning when I woke up. After I escaped, I thought of looking for her, but her cell was probably heavily guarded because she's a bender."

"How'd you escape?" Toph demanded. "The rebels let you go?"

"Not really," Suki replied, running a hand through her hair. She grimaced at the thought of how she looked. "Some Lieutenant had given a bunch of rebel soldiers an order to bring Azula to their base and the soldiers didn't really know what she looked like. They thought I was her and that Katara was my maid so they kidnapped us and…"

"They let you go?" Ying repeated, surprised.

Suki shook her head. "When they found out that I wasn't Azula, they separated us and locked us up. They knew I wasn't a bender so there was only one guard posted outside my cell. And he wasn't very bright, so it was easy, almost _too_ easy, to escape."

"Any idea where they could've taken Katara?" Sokka asked.

Suki shrugged. "They referred to everything as a 'rendezvous point.' She could be anywhere."

"Did they know who she was?" Toph asked. "If they knew she helped bring Azula down, they'd probably take her straight to Azula, assuming she's out of prison."

"When I left, they didn't know much about her except that she was a waterbender."

"And Zuko and Mai are back in the Fire Nation," Aang reminded them. "If Azula broke out, they'd have told us."

Toph sighed. "This is going to be like finding that library in the desert."

* * *

Katara shivered in the cool night air, wishing that the rebels would at least take her below the deck. They had left the Earth Kingdom days ago, and ever since then, they had been sailing to some unknown destination. For the last few days, she had slept in some corner of the large galley, but whenever she was awake, the rebels forced her to stay on the upper deck of the metal brig that was taking her to her new prison.

She leaned against the railing, flexing her wrists, wincing slightly as the rope chaffed her skin. Her whole body ached and she left so stiff and sore. For the first time in her life, she couldn't wait to get to the prison. The rebels were driving her insane and they weren't exactly pleasant company, especially when they kept talking about the _Avatar's girl_.

"Do you think the girl's in the Earth Kingdom?"

"I know she's not with the Avatar at the moment."

_No,_ Katara agreed, silently. _She's being held hostage by a bunch of foul-smelling rebels on a grimy old ship. _

"Should we check the Northern Water Tribe then?"

"You won't find her there," Katara said, giving a dull laugh.

The rebels all turned towards her.

"You know her?"

Katara nodded slightly.

"Where is she?"

"Not in the Water Tribes."

"Earth Kingdom, then?"

She shook her head.

"She's got to be in the Fire Nation, then."

"No, she's not."

One rebel cursed. "The Avatar's girlfriend has got be around somewhere."

"You won't find her because she doesn't exist. The Avatar doesn't have a girlfriend," Katara said. _Because he keeps chasing after you idiots and I hardly get to see him anymore_, she added, silently.

"She does exist," another rebel snapped. "Why else would…?"

"The Avatar's too busy for girls," Katara snapped. "He spends all his time chasing after idiots like you to be bothered by a waterbender."

"Well, we're going to find that waterbender and…" the rebel stopped and stared hard at Katara. "You're a waterbender."

"So what if I am."

"And you're a girl, too."

"I'm glad you figured that out," was her sarcastic reply.

"You could be the one."

"Keep dreaming," Katara said. "If I was the Avatar's girl, don't you think he'd have rescued me by now?"

"What's your name?"

"Kya," She lied.

"Liar," another rebel snarled. "The day we kidnapped you, that other girl called you something else. What is your name?"

"Kya," Katara repeated. "What else could I possibly be called?"

The rebel grunted and turned to the other prisoner. He became paler when the rebels approached him.

"We want some information," a tall, muscular rebel demanded, hauling the young man to his feet. "Do you know where the Avatar's girl is?"

The young man shook his head and the rebel hit him. "Tell me," he snarled. "You know where she is."

"P-please," the young man stammered. "I really don't know." But the rebel continued to hit him.

"Leave him alone," Katara snapped, inserting herself between the two. "He doesn't know."

"Sounds like _you_ do," the rebel said, glaring at her. "Where is she?"

"I told you, the Avatar doesn't have a…" the rebel turned around and punched the prisoner. He fell to the ground with a cry of pain.

"I'll beat him up until he's dead if you don't tell me," the rebel threatened. His companions chorused in agreement and Katara frowned.

"I'm telling the truth," she insisted.

Like vultures, the rebels descended on the poor young man. Katara tried to stop them, but one rebel just hit her so hard, she lost her balance and fell, hitting the hard ground.

"Tell me where the girl is," the rebel demanded, hovering over Katara.

"I told you, she doesn't exist," she said, pulling herself up.

"Tell me your name."

Katara rolled her eyes. "It's Kya."

"I don't believe you."

"But…"

The rebel grabbed her and flung her none too gently against a wall. Katara's knees gave way and she crumpled on the floor, aware of a sharp pain lancing through her.

"Tell me your real name or my friends and I will take care of that whining little prisoner and we'll finish you next." When she didn't answer, the rebel started to move away.

"Wait," Katara gasped. "If I tell you my name, will you leave him alone?"

"Possibly."

Katara grimaced. Her situation vaguely reminded her of the similar one her mother had been in fourteen years ago, when Yon Rha had threatened her.

"Tell me," the rebel said, kicking her as if to spring the answer from her.

"Katara," she gasped, trying her best to ignore the pain. "My name is Katara."

"That's more like it," the rebel said, hauling her to her feet and dragging her to a cell. "We'll be back shortly. In the meantime, heal him; you're a waterbender so I'm assuming that it wouldn't be too difficult." He deposited the young man in the same cell. "And be prepared to tell us more." Without another word, the rebel shut the door, leaving Katara and the nameless prisoner alone.

At first, Katara couldn't see anything, but once her eyes adjusted to the dim light, she wished she were back in the galley. The cell was decorated very much like the room Aang had been in all those years ago on their stolen Fire Navy ship. The massive insignia taunted her from the wall, reminding her of their miserable failure in the catacombs of Ba Sing Se. Katara buried her face in her hands, trying to stop the memories from replaying, but it was no use. Even when she closed her eyes, she could still see Aang's falling form and Azula's evil smirk, still feel the heat of the fire and how her heart suddenly stopped beating.

From somewhere on the floor, the prisoner winced, and Katara, ignoring the pain, moved next to him.

"Hold still," she said. "I can heal you."

He nodded as she slowly began healing him.

"It's you, isn't it?" he asked weakly, after she was done. She blinked at him. "You're her, the Avatar's girl."

Katara shook her head. "No, I'm not."

"But you're Katara."

She nodded.

"And Katara's…"

"I'm just Katara, no one else."

"I won't tell them," the man promised, coughing a bit. "Even if they kill me."

Katara didn't say anything. Instead, she closed her eyes and leaned against the wall, wishing that the rebels hadn't even started the subject.

"Why didn't you tell them?" the man said.

Katara glanced at him. He was staring at the opposite wall and fiddling with the end of his sleeve.

"If you had told them the truth, they wouldn't have hurt you; they'd have been scared stiff if they knew the Avatar would probably get back at them."

"He's not going to get back at anyone," Katara said, a little more harshly than she intended. "He won't even find me. I hope he doesn't."

"Why?"

"He's got enough problems," Katara snapped. "I don't need to be one of them."

Neither of them said anything and after a while, the young man fell asleep. Katara watched him as he mumbled something in his sleep. If she stared hard enough, it wasn't some nameless prisoner lying on the cold ground, it was an injured twelve year old Avatar whose near death had shattered her world to pieces.

* * *

Suki and Sokka stared at the map before them and whispered something to each other. Ying scowled in their direction. Ever since they had left, Sokka, Suki, and Toph had been poring over maps. Ying didn't see how staring at a piece of paper would help them find Katara. Toph was asleep now, leaving Sokka and Suki to use the map under the bright light of the moon. Aang hadn't said much since they left, but had been concentrating on steering Appa. Ying moved to the front of the saddle to talk to him.

"We're not getting anywhere," she said, blowing a strand of her hair away from her face. "Looking at a map isn't going to help."

"Do you have a better idea?" Aang asked, without turning around to face her.

"How about we check the Earth Kingdom instead of aimlessly wandering the skies?"

"It'll take too long to search the entire place. Besides, the rebels would probably take her to one of their bases. Sokka and Suki already know some."

Ying frowned. "You don't even seem to care," she muttered, moving back to her seat.

Toph opened her eyes slightly. "What's wrong now?"

"Sokka and Suki are looking at a map," Ying huffed. "How is that supposed to help us find Katara?"

"They're trying to find a pattern. If the rebel bases are…"

"It wouldn't make a difference. Sokka doesn't even seem bothered by Katara's disappearance."

Toph started to say something, but Ying just cut her off. "And Aang's even worse. He doesn't seem to care."

Toph rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. If anyone cares, it's Sokka and Aang."

* * *

Katara squinted in the bright early morning light that flooded her cell. She could hear the muffled sounds of the waves lapping at the boat and the laughter of the rebels from the galley. The young man was sitting in a corner, humming something and peering through the small window in the room. Katara wanted to ask him what made him so happy, but just then a rebel came for him. He was escorted out of the cell and Katara never saw him again after that.

It was a few hours before the boat docked in some unknown port and for the first time in days, Katara was let out of her cell. She and several rebels left the ship and began walking towards the outskirts of the city. She didn't bother asking where they were taking her; she knew it was most likely either a prison or one of their numerous bases, but honestly she couldn't care less.

Their trip passed mostly in silence. There was no mention of the Avatar or his girl and Katara was thankful for that. She did manage to find out, however, that the young man who had been in her cell had been sent to another rebel base and had not been killed as the rebels had threatened. Other than that, the rebels kept quiet. If at all they spoke, it was to complain about the long, tedious journey. Katara just stared at them, disgustedly. Of course they wouldn't be able to walk long distances. During the war, Ozai's soldiers had always ridden komodo-rhinos or some other animal for transportation. She had too, but every now and then, when Appa had been too tired to fly, they walked.

They must have walked for tens of miles, because it was sundown when they finally reached a large mountain. Wordlessly, Katara followed them to the peak where they shoved her into a gondola waited until it reached its destination. The rebels filed out and waited for her to follow. Wordlessly, she complied, stepping onto a large terrace that overlooked the prison.

The rebels all grinned. "Welcoming to the Boiling Rock, Katara."

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks for the reviews :)

~Cassidy Alice


	5. Chapter IV: Running Away

Chapter IV: Running Away

Azula was usually good at keeping her composure, but after all this time with Hama, she was beginning to snap. And what scared her most was that she was beginning to sympathize with the waterbender for having had to put up with her. Azula knew she hadn't gone weak, but it was unsettling to feel sorry. Of course, she wasn't completely heartless, or at least she hadn't been. She'd felt sorry for lots of people before, but the thought of feeling sorry for the waterbender wasn't very pleasant. Azula sighed and turned to look at the sky. Although the sun was shining brightly on the other side of the thick, brick wall, the outline of the full moon hung in the sky. Azula smiled to herself. If Hama was really all that she claimed to be, Azula would be out of prison by tonight.

* * *

Katara sat in the darkness of her cell in the Boiling Rock, slightly afraid. She wasn't afraid of the rebels, the guards, or the other prisoners. She was afraid she was unbalanced because every so often, she'd hear a shrill voice in her head. The harder she tried to tune it out, the louder it became.

"_Once you perfect this technique, you can control anything…or anyone._"

"_The choice is not yours. The power exists…and it's your duty to use the gifts you've been given to win this war. Katara, they tried to wipe us out, our entire culture…your mother!_"

"_We're the last Waterbenders of the Southern Tribe. We have to fight these people whenever we can, wherever they are, with __any__ means necessary._"

"_Congratulation, Katara. You're a bloodbender."_

She tuned out the voice and closed her eyes, trying to think of something else, but it didn't help much. A lifetime wasn't long enough to erase some of the most painful memories. Even now, all these years later, if she closed her eyes and pictured it hard enough, she could practically _feel_ the black snow coming down. She could see the battle clearly, the bright red garb of the Southern Raiders, the blue of her tribe. She could hear the urgency in her mother's voice as she ushered her out of the house and the fear in her father's voice when she told him Kya was in danger.

Maybe things would have been better if they had killed me instead, she thought. But she knew that it wasn't true. If she had died that day instead of Kya, Aang would probably still have been frozen in the iceberg and the war would still have continued or Ozai would have won. It made her wonder, though, what life would have been like under Ozai. She shuddered at the thought of the former Fire Lord ruling over the Water Tribes. The Northern Water Tribe might have been able to resist, but if Ozai had won, he could have wiped the Southern Water Tribe off the map if he wanted to.

* * *

_For the first time in his life, Sokka truly wished he was a bender. Growing up, he was perfectly content to train to become a warrior because the only bender in entire South Pole had been his sister. But now, more than anything, he wished he was a bender so he could help Katara. She was stranded on a rock, completely surrounded by fire and no water. He wondered how that was possible. It was like an airbender running out of air; air and water were in everything so theoretically, Katara couldn't have run out of water. But somehow or other, she had and was now standing helplessly amid a raging fire. _

_Someone with a musical voice called out to him. "Find her, Sokka."_

"_Yue!" he cried, gleefully. "Thank goodness you're here. Katara needs help."_

_Yue's laugh rang out. "Find her, Sokka. Find her before…"_

"_Before what?" Sokka asked, unable to catch the last bit of her sentence._

"_The Fire Nation," Yue said, her voice growing fainter. "…the…rock."_

"_What?"_

_But Yue's voice had faded away and Katara and the fire had completely vanished, leaving Sokka in utter darkness._

* * *

Ying sat by a small pond and watched the fireflies as they flew around the clearing. The stars were shining overhead, their iridescent light reflected in the waters of the pond. Despite the humid, summer night, Ying shivered. She had been good at blocking out painful memories and keeping her composure, but at times like these, when she was alone, she often thought about her parents. She missed her parents terrible, even if she didn't show it. Angrily, she wiped away a few tears. She had always led a happy life, so why did everything suddenly have to change? And for the first time in her life, Ying felt completely alone.

"Ying? What are you doing up so late?" Sokka asked, coming to sit beside her.

"I couldn't sleep," she admitted. "I was thinking about…"

"Your parents?"

Ying nodded ever so slightly. "I miss them." It was the tiniest whisper; Sokka had to strain to hear. The warrior shifted uncomfortably.

"Um…"

"Sometimes, when I think about the rebel that killed them, I feel so angry that I could kill him if…" she hung her head. "Why didn't Katara kill the man who killed your mother?"

Sokka was slightly taken aback. "I don't know," he admitted. "She was definitely angry at him. I always thought she would have killed him, given the chance. I think she even thought she would have if their paths ever crossed."

"But she didn't."

"She didn't," Sokka agreed. "I honestly don't know why. Maybe what Aang said got through to her or maybe she realized that she just couldn't."

Ying drew her legs up and rested her chin on her knees. "But how was she just able to walk away like that? After someone destroys your life, how do you let them get away with it?"

"You might let them get away with something, but that doesn't mean the universe will. Everyone always says that the universe is in balance. So, logically, if killers make other people's lives miserable, they probably aren't happy."

"We both know it doesn't always work like that; the laws of the universe are strange."

"Doesn't it?" Sokka wondered. "From what Katara told me, Yon Rha was leading a pretty miserable life."

"Yeah, well…"

"Things will work out, trust me."

Something rustled in the bushes behind them, and Sokka and Ying turned to find a young man. Sokka unsheathed his sword and the young man turned visibly paler.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?"

"I'm Lee," the young man stammered and Sokka couldn't help but think of his old sword master's advice. (_Try Lee_, he had said about cover names. _There's a million Lee's._) Apparently, he hadn't been kidding.

"What do you want?" Sokka asked, a little harsher than he intended. Ying glanced at him and then at Lee.

"I'm looking for the Avatar," Lee admitted. "I've got some news for one of his friends."

"Who?"

"Sokka of the Water Tribe."

Sokka lowered his sword. "That's me."

Lee brightened. "That's great. You see, I was in rebel rendezvous point all chained up when they dragged another prisoner there. We started talking and he told me he knew something about Katara of the Water Tribe. All the rebels are talking about her and how they should bust Azula out of jail and hand Katara over to her."

"So?" Ying demanded, speaking to Lee for the first time. Ying wasn't one to judge people based on their appearances, but Lee seemed like a friendly young man. He couldn't have been more than seventeen, perhaps eighteen, and he was definitely from the Earth Kingdom. He was tall, lean, and handsome, and had green eyes that reminded Ying of her neighbor when she had been living in the Earth Kingdom during the war.

"Well, this prisoner-I never found out his name- asked me to help him. Apparently, Katara helped him and he wanted to return the favor, but he couldn't escape. I was supposed to be sent to the Boiling Rock, but I escaped and came here as a favor to him."

"That's it," Sokka cried, almost jumping with joy. "Lee, you're a genius."

Lee just blinked. "Thanks, I guess," he said as Sokka took off back to the campsite.

Ying just shook her head. "I don't know what that was all about, but you'd better come with us for now."

Lee obeyed, mesmerized by the beautiful waterbender in front of him.

"Aang," Sokka cried, shaking the sleeping Avatar awake. "I know where Katara is."

"You do?" was the Avatar's sleepy reply.

Sokka nodded. "She's in the Fire Nation, at the Boiling Rock."

"How do you know?" Toph asked, slightly annoyed that she had been woken up by all the commotion.

"Yue and instincts," was Sokka's unintelligible reply.

"You spoke with Yue?" Suki asked, incredulous. Sokka had once mentioned what had happened to Yue and since then, Suki hadn't heard him speak of her. "Sokka, that's wonderful."

"I didn't exactly speak to her," Sokka said. "It was in my dream."

"Dreams," Toph groaned. "We're going to go all the way to the Fire Nation because you had a _dream_?"

"Well Yue told me Katara was there. And my instincts tell me…"

"We know how far his instincts got us," the blind earthbender muttered to Suki and Aang. They laughed.

Sokka sighed. "I know it seems crazy, but I'm positive that Katara's in the Fire Nation."

"If you're sure," Suki said, making a move to roll her sleeping bag up. Sokka nodded.

"Oh, and this is Lee."

That was the only introduction the young man got before he joined the group.

* * *

"Well," said Hama, bloodbending the last of the guards. "What do you think?" Azula stared at the old woman and then at the fallen guards and repressed a shiver. Honestly, she thought it was just a tad bit creepy the way the old woman was able to manipulate others, but she didn't tell Hama that.

"Impressive," was her reply. It was, in a strange way, impressive, but also eerie. Azula knew she didn't want to be one of Hama's victims.

"You taught this to that waterbender?" Azula asked. Hama nodded and Azula remained silent. It's a wonder that waterbender isn't unbalanced, the princess thought. Azula loved having control over people, but she knew she wouldn't have used bloodbending even if she was a bloodbender. To be able to reach inside and control someone like that… the thought, oddly enough, made her shudder.

"Well, Princess Azula, where do we go now?"

Azula smiled. "Oh, there are several rebel bases in the vicinity. It shouldn't be too hard to find one. And once we introduced ourselves, I'm sure the rebels will be happy to help us get back at the Avatar and his friends."

* * *

"Twinkle toes, if you don't separate those two now, I swear, I'm going to earthbend them apart the second we land," Toph threatened, pointing to Ying and Lee in an animated conversation.

Aang chuckled. "Lighten up, Toph. They're just talking."

"Just like Sokka and Suki _talk, _like you and Katara _talk_?" Toph replied, smugly.

Aang just rolled his eyes. "Well, what do you want me to do?"

"Separate them. They're driving me insane. And I think that Lee kid likes Ying."

"So what?"

"She can be silly enough sometimes without a guy. Add a boyfriend into the equation, and she's a total disaster."

"Maybe you're being too hard on him," Suki said, joining the conversation. "Lee's pretty smart and he has some information on the rebels' whereabouts."

"Maybe I am," Toph admitted. "But you have to admit, they are just the slightest bit annoying."

Suki nodded. "Maybe they are, but this is the happiest I've seen Ying since her parents' death, so maybe it isn't all bad."

* * *

Katara was good at a lot of things, but acting had never been one of them. For some reason, acting had never been her strong point. She couldn't act very well. So it was rather irritating when her escape plan hinged on her acting abilities.

Her escape plan had been simple; the rebels had been stupid enough to put her in a prison surrounded by water. All she had to do was waterbender herself to the other side of the mountain and climb out. Even if the guards took the gondola across, it wouldn't make a difference; she had planned everything so that no matter what, the guards couldn't get her. The only problem was being let out of her cell. She alone, out of all the prisoners, was never let out. That was where acting came in. She had learned there was a special area in the prison for sick inmates. If she acted sick enough, the guards would take her there and the rest was easy. Katara knew it was a rather stupid plan and that there was lots of room for error, but she had never inherited her father's skill at making plans and it suited Sokka better.

From somewhere outside, she heard footsteps heading in her direction. Three guards entered her room, bringing her food and feeling slightly nervous, Katara began her charade. It started with a weak, "I don't feel good" which sent one guard rushing for help and another eying her suspiciously. To divert his suspicion, Katara pretended to faint. She thought it was rather unconvincing (like the actress who had portrayed her in _The Boy in the Iceberg _production on Ember Island), but apparently, it was quite convincing. The guards were glancing at her anxiously, trying to figure out what to do. They settled on trying to revive her and she pretended to be revived. When they said they were taking her to the infirmary, she obediently followed them. But when they reached the courtyard that separated the rest of the prison from the infirmary, she dropped her charade. In a lightning fast movement, she waterbended the two against a wall and disappeared from sight.

* * *

By the time they neared the Boiling Rock, Sokka was practically shaking. Appa was flying faster than usual, as if he sensed the urgency and Sokka was thankful. He wanted to know whether or not his litter sister was being held there. If she was, their search was over. If not, they were back to square one.

"Something's going on," Aang pointed out as he steered the bison towards the prison. "There's a lot of commotion."

"I hope Katara's okay," Suki said, as they neared the prison. Sokka nodded in agreement.

By the time they actually reached the prison, a good five minutes had passed and the commotion had increased. Several firebenders were firebending at an inmate who had managed to escape and was now climbing the mountainside. Every time the firebenders missed, the inmates who were still within the prison cheered, whether or not they could see what was going on.

"Wait a minute," Sokka cried, staring hard at the prisoner. "Isn't that Katara?"

Aang artfully maneuvered Appa so he was hovering over the prisoner.

"Katara?"

The waterbender looked slightly surprised to see her brother and friends suddenly appear.

"Sokka? What are you doing here?

"We're busting you out of here." The warrior said. But just then, a mass of fire was thrown in their direction. It missed Katara by inches, but she lost her hold on the rock and fell into the bubbling waters of the boiling lake below.

* * *

Please reveiw :)

~Cassidy Alice


	6. Chapter V: Haunted

Chapter V: Haunted

For once in her life, Katara actually thought she was drowning. She wanted so badly to laugh. How could a waterbender drown? It was like an airbender running out of air or an earthbender running out of earth; it hardly ever happened. She was thankful that at least she was able to cool the water with her skills. At least she wasn't being roasted alive while sinking deeper into the depths of the lake.

In retrospect, maybe her escape plan hadn't been fully thought out. She knew there was always a possibility of swimming across the lake to escape, but she hadn't realized how tired she was, and how strong the seemingly gentle current was. And as she drifted deeper into the water, she began to wonder if she would ever make it out of this.

* * *

The Warden was known for running a strict prison, so when his second-in-command, a short, pudgy guard with a booming voice, found out that one of their most important prisoners had escaped, he was furious.

"Which idiot had the bright idea to bring a waterbender to the Boiling Rock?" he thundered. "It's surrounded by _water_."

"It was one of the rebel groups," said a guard.

"Shut up, you fool. The Warden thinks we're on his side. If he found out that we're still loyal to Ozai, he'd tell his niece and we'd all be dead by tomorrow."

"But it was their idea to keep her here until Princess Azula was free."

"I don't care whose idea it was. If the warden finds out that the rebels locked her up, he'll tell his niece immediately. The waterbender's supposedly her friend."

The guard shrugged. "She fell into the lake. She'll be roasted alive by the time the Warden comes. What's the worst that could happen?"

"I could lose my position as second in command and end up as an inmate. Now bring me that waterbender dead or alive."

The guard mumbled something incoherent and motioned for several of his companions to follow. The posted themselves along the bridge that connected the mountain to the island and began scanning the water below them.

* * *

Sokka was surprised by how unaffected Ying and Aang seemed. They were glancing calmly at the water and Ying was even smiling. Sokka didn't see anything remotely exciting about it; his little sister had just fallen into a boiling lake and Ying was _smiling_?

"You really shouldn't worry so much, Sokka," Ying said.

"Not worry?" he replied, his voice nearly rising an octave.

"Katara's a waterbender," Ying reminded. "The water won't hurt her; she can just cool it."

"The kid's got a point," Toph said.

Ying beamed.

"If she can just cool the water, why isn't she out of the lake yet?" Lee wondered.

"_The kid's got a point_," Sokka said, and Toph scowled.

"Just watch," Ying said, pointing to the water in the lake below.

"It's bubbling. Big deal." Sokka replied. "I bet…"

Without warning, a huge wave of water crashed against the prison, drenching inmates and guards and scalding the ones that had been standing over the water. Sokka just gaped as Ying waterbended the hot liquid away from Appa and the others.

"Do you know how awesome that would have been if Katara had done that while we were fighting Ozai?" Sokka asked. "Why couldn't she create gigantic monster waves then?"

"Some people never change," Toph muttered as Aang steered Appa towards where a wet Katara was climbing out of the lake.

"Come on," Suki cried, extending her hand towards Katara while Ying deflected several attacks from the firebenders. As soon as Katara was safe, Appa took off flying again.

"Don't let them get away," a guard shouted, trying to aim at them, but Appa was already too high for him to hit. Still, the guard kept trying until Appa was nothing more than a tiny dot in the sky before giving up.

* * *

"Are we there yet?" Ying mumbled, glancing irately at Toph, Sokka and Suki who were engaged in an animated conversation. Night had fallen long ago, shrouding everything in black. Only the full moon illuminated the way and the occasional clusters of fuzzy lights were the only signs of towns. Katara had long ago fallen asleep and her peaceful slumber was the only thing preventing Ying from nearly screaming at Appa to go faster. She understood that Appa was tired, but she was so sore that it was agony to sit still.

"We're almost there," Lee said, pointing to a river that snaked its way through a forest. "I crossed this river after I escaped."

Ying glanced at the landscape and then back at Lee. "Won't your family miss you?"

Lee gave a small smile. "No. They're always with me."

Ying gave him a quizzical look, but he didn't elaborate so she kept silent, trying to figure out what he meant.

* * *

It was late when Katara woke up and she was surprised to find herself in Appa's saddle, her brother's thin blanket draped over her. She smiled to herself. She must have looked very tired because no one had bothered to wake her up since they had arrived. Katara stared at the sleeping mats arranged in a neat circle around the campfire. Sokka was snoring peacefully, completely unaffected by the unusually cool summer night. Toph's earth tent rose out from the ground, and the newcomer, Lee, was sleeping a few feet away. Only two mats were empty. Aang had abandoned his and had fallen asleep on the sky bison's tail and Ying was nowhere to be found. Katara silently climbed off of Appa, trying her best not to wake him. She folded Sokka's blanket and laid it beside him before slipping off towards the river.

She found Ying sitting on the riverbank, starting abjectly at the water. She didn't turn around when she heard Katara approach, so Katara just sat beside her and watched the water lap eagerly at the grassy bank. Occasionally, the stillness of the night was punctuated by the sound of crickets chirping but nothing else broke the silence. After a god ten minutes, Ying addressed her.

"I'm sorry," the sixteen-year old said, without turning to look at her. "I've been meaning to apologize for all those things I said that day."

Katara nodded but otherwise remained silent so Ying spoke again. "Why?"

"Why what?" Katara asked.

"Why didn't you ever kill the man who murdered your mother?" Ying asked in a tiny voice.

Katara sighed. "I wanted to. I almost did."

"But you didn't," Ying said. "Why not?"

Katara shrugged. "For a lot of reasons, I guess."

"But he ruined your life. Doesn't he deserve some punishment?" Ying demanded.

"An eye for an eye makes the whole world go blind," Katara quoted. Ying frowned so Katara clarified. "If I had killed him, it wouldn't have made me any better than him."

"But Sokka said you were really mad at the guy."

"I was," Katara admitted. "I hated him for what he did. And I probably would have killed him if…"

"Aang hadn't talked you out of it?" Ying finished.

Katara nodded. "Actually, I don't know if he talked me out of it, or if I was never able to do it to begin with."

"What do you mean?"

"I've never actually killed someone," Katara said. "I might have talked about killing Yon Rha but even now, I don't think I could kill him if I wanted to." She gave a small laugh. "Even now, I still don't know."

"Don't know what?" Ying asked.

"Whether I couldn't kill him because I was too weak to do it, or strong enough not to."

"I still don't understand how you could have let him go," Ying said.

Katara turned to stare at her and Ying was rather surprised that Katara was being so calm.

"Killing isn't something to be taken lightly. You can talk about killing that rebel all you want, but once you actually do it, you'll find it doesn't feel as good as you thought. I've heard stories about people who've driven themselves insane after murdering someone for revenge."

Ying sighed. "Maybe, but that rebel destroyed my life. I'm all alone now." She wiped a stray tear from her eyes. "And I miss my parents."

"I still miss my mom," Katara said. "I always will."

"When does the pain fade?" she asked.

"Never," Katara replied. "The feeling is something that never fades away. But you're never alone. You've still got us and Lee."

"Lee?" Ying squeaked and Katara laughed.

"He likes you, you know?"

"Well…I….um…you have no proof!"

Katara grinned. "Yes I do. You only have to look at him and know. You know he lost his parents too?"

"He did? He never said anything about that."

"He mentioned it to Toph while we were on our way back."

"I didn't hear…hey," Ying cried, indignantly. "Weren't you supposed to be sleeping?"

Katara chuckled. "You think anyone could get to sleep with all the noise you guys were making?"

Ying buried her face in her hands. "How embarrassing. I must have sounded like a complete idiot to you. You heard my conversation with Lee, right?"

"Not really," Katara said, getting up. "Come on. We better get back to camp before the others think we disappeared."

By the time the two waterbenders returned to the camp, everyone was up and packing their belongings. Sokka was looking at a map again and dictating orders to Lee about what supplies to collect.

"What's wrong?" Ying asked, noticing all the commotion.

"A messenger hawk just came from Zuko," Suki explained. "A bunch of rebels are headed in this direction. Zuko doesn't know if they're after us or not, but he told us to be careful so Sokka thinks we should relocated."

"That's not all," Toph spat. "Princess Azula escaped with another convict."

"Who?" Katara asked, not the least bit surprised that the Princess was free again.

"Hama," Aang said, and all eyes turned to Katara.

"Oh."

"This happens a lot, doesn't it?" Ying asked.

"What?" Sokka answered.

"Attacks in general," Ying replied. "Stuff keeps happening to us."

Suki grinned. "You're travelling with the Avatar and some of the most powerful benders; you better get used to it. We get attacked a lot."

As if on cue, several firebenders emerged from the woods that bordered the river and Ying suddenly went cold. There were at least twenty rebels in all and even if she took on three or four, she didn't know if she could fight them, much less win. But Toph and Lee already had bent some earth, Sokka had his sword unsheathed, and Katara already had a water whip ready.

"What do you want?" Sokka asked, coldly and the rebels grinned.

Their leader smirked. "You've got two convicts and the Avatar. We're taking them with us. Princess Azula's orders." That was the only warning Sokka and the others got before the rebels surged forward to attack.

* * *

Hama frowned at the rebels and turned to Azula. The Fire Nation Princess was lounging idly in a chair and staring at the scenery outside. If Hama didn't know any better, she would have said that Azula didn't care about their task.

"What?" The princess snapped. "What do you find so interesting about me that it's made you stare at me like that?"

"Ever since we joined with the rebels, we haven't done anything. Just because you send twenty odd rebels after the Avatar and his friends doesn't mean they're going to win. I'll tell you what will happen. They'll lose. They'll fight and lose."

"So what should we do then?" Azula demanded. "You seem to have _such_ a good idea."

"Pick of his friends one by one. Start with Katara, the waterbender. You want to get back at her, don't you?"

"She cost me my throne. If she hadn't helped Zuko, I would have been Fire Lord."

"Exactly. Get rid of her first. Then take out her dimwitted brother and that Kyoshi warrior and the blind earthbender. When that's all finished, the Avatar is yours."

Azula thought for a while before answering. "I understand why we should go after the waterbender and the others, but why the Avatar? Hasn't he mastered the Avatar State or whatever they call it? He'd just kill us. I say we get rid of all his friends and leave him."

"What good would that do?" the old bloodbender challenged.

"He'd be miserable and he'd deserve it. Thanks to him and Zuko, my father is rotting in jail."

"Fine. As you like," Hama said, disappearing to her quarters. Azula watched her retreating figure and a frown worked its way across her face. She didn't trust the old lady, even if she had kept her word and released Azula from the horrible prison. And honestly, Azula didn't trust or care about the rebels. They might have been loyal to her and Ozai, but she had learned that hard way that though you may trust someone, that doesn't mean they trust you, that even those you trust can betray you.

Hama reminded Azula of Long Feng. He had said that he trusted Azula and that she should trust him. Something about him had made her cautious, had made her question whether she should really trust him or not. Fortunately, she hadn't and when he attempted to double-cross her, she had gotten rid of him fairly easily. Hama was just like that. Azula was sure that Hama would betray her if given the chance. I'd better watch her and the rebels, the firebender thought. Azula vowed she would be cautious. Hama and the rebels weren't going to betray her like Mai and Ty Lee had.

* * *

Lee had always considered himself to be an excellent warrior so it was extremely irritating when it looked like he was losing the battle against the three firebenders he had taken on. In retrospect, maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to go for the toughest looking ones, but after seeing Toph's earthbending, Lee suddenly wanted to see if he could earthbend like her. Needless to say, his earthbending hadn't come out like Toph's but it managed to confuse a few rebels. But it wasn't enough to keep them from attacking. Lee was able to make out Ying fighting off a few rebels from the corner of his eyes. He wanted badly to help her, but there was no way he could with the firebenders attacking him. He didn't know what exactly it was about the young waterbender, but he had fallen head over heels for her. Now that she was in danger, he wanted more than anything to protect her.

Ying had taken down three of the four rebels she had been fighting but she was so tired she didn't know if she could injure the fourth. It wasn't until she got close enough to him that she was able to fight with renewed vigor. The rebel was the same one who had killed her parents and Ying promised herself she was going to make him pay.

When the rebels sent several disks of fire in her direction, Ying drew up a wall of water. When he tried to burn her, she tried to freeze him in ice. They fought for what seemed like an eternity though in reality it was probably a few minutes. At first, it seemed like neither was winning, but the rebel soon tired and Ying was able to force him down. For the first time. He was at her mercy and Ying felt so powerful knowing she could kill him if she wanted to.

Suddenly, her conversation with Katara came back to her. _An eye for an eye makes the whole world go blind_ was what Katara had said. Ying knew that was true, but a small part of her wanted so badly to kill the rebel for killing her parents. He had made her life miserable, so shouldn't he suffer as well?

"Go ahead and kill me," The rebel snarled. "See if I care."

Ying prepared to strike, but at the last moment, she stopped. She hung her head. Katara had said she hadn't been able to kill Yon Rha and now Ying found that she couldn't kill the rebel. She _wanted_ to, she desperately wanted to take away his life, but then she suddenly thought about her parents. Had they been alive, they probably wouldn't have been too happy she was killing people, even if she was avenging a death. And it reminded her of what she had heard Katara had say long ago when she had wanted to hunt this man down. _Letting her kill someone is not going to help her._

"You're not going to kill me, then?" The rebel wondered.

Ying shook her head and he snorted. In a lightning fast movement, Ying's water whip coiled around his foot and hoisted him into the air before depositing him in the river.

"You're pathetic," Ying said, before turning her back on him.

It seemed like the rebels left hours later though they must have only left fifteen or twenty minutes after they arrived. Everyone had bruises and scratches, but Sokka, Katara, and Lee had minor sprains. They were all tired but somehow or other had managed to relocate to a different forest miles away. After making sure they were completely hidden, they set to work healing themselves.

"You really scared me," Katara said to Ying. "I thought you were going to kill that guy."

"You were right," Ying said. "But I still think he deserves to die." She got up and walked away. Wordlessly, Lee followed her.

"You don't think she'll try to go after that rebel again do you?" Katara asked Aang as he helped her bandage her sprained ankle.

He shrugged. "Probably not, but if she does Lee will talk her out of it."

Toph frowned. "I don't know. Ying is very determined. Even Lee might have a hard time dissuading her."

Suki turned to look at the two figures standing in the distance. "Something tells me he won't."

Ying and Lee spent the rest of the evening away from the others. Obviously, Lee was trying to cheer her up, but Katara suspected he was failing miserably. A few times, Lee had tried forcibly leading Ying back to sit with the others, but she hadn't moved at all. But like Suki had predicted, Lee must have talked Ying out of trying to track the rebel if she wanted to because she hadn't even made a single attempt to do so.

"I'm not staying up all night to wait for Ying to come back," Toph said as they got ready for bed. "I'm too tired. But I've got to give Lee credit for being persistent. Must really love her or something."

"They just need to work out their problems," Sokka said. "Give them a day."

"They could use a round in the Cave of Two Lovers," Aang whispered to Katara.

She grinned. "It could work, but Lee's an earthbender. It wouldn't be as much fun."


	7. Chapter VI: Blood Moon

Chapter VI: Blood Moon

Azula was already up and ready by the time Hama woke up. The old lady was a little bit surprised that the Princess was up so early, but she dismissed it as restlessness. Actually, Azula had a good reason for being up so early, but she wasn't going to tell Hama. The only thing that mattered to Azula now, was her freedom. She was free of that awful prison at last and she had no intention of ever going back. She was going to remain free even if she had to rearrange their plans to do so.

* * *

Sokka yawned, rubbing his eyes. "It really feels like old times, doesn't it?" he asked, as Katara came to take over guard duty.

His sister nodded. "Yeah. All we need is Azula chasing us again and then it would be _exactly_ like old times."

Sokka nodded. "Well, she'll find us sooner or later. I'm sure she's eager to fight Aang again. And she'll probably want to get back at you for defeating her. I wonder if she knows Zuko's not here."

Katara shrugged. "Who knows how Azula's mind works?"

"Assuming she still has one," Sokka muttered, yawning. "Goodnight." He curled up on his mat and seconds later he was snoring. Katara just stared at the stars glittering like diamonds high above and absently twirled a strand of her hair around her fingers. Oddly enough, the thought of Azula coming after her didn't bother her. She was just surprised that the Fire Nation princess had waited so long to come after her. After their return to the South Pole, she and Sokka had spent weeks standing guard at the village entrance just in case Azula was crazy enough to attack.

Katara smiled in memory. Azula had never bothered to attack, so she had frequently fallen asleep while on duty. That was how Aang had found her on his last trip to the South Pole. She had been fast asleep when an all too familiar growl woke her up. She had felt Appa's wet nose before her eyes were even open. Her smile faded, though, when she thought of the airbender. Ever since they had started helping Zuko put down rebellions, it seemed like she hardly got to talk to him anymore. It wasn't entirely true, but she missed being able to talk like they had in the old days, when their conversations hadn't revolved around rebels or pleasantries.

"Katara?"

Katara jumped at the sound of her name and, extracting some water from her water skin, dumped it on the figure behind her. It took a moment for her to realize who it was and a moment before a look of horror swept across her face.

"Aang, I'm so sorry. I was…"

"It's okay," he said, grinning good-naturedly and airbending himself dry. "That's the plus side to being and airbender."

She smiled. "What are you doing up?"

Aang pointed to Ying and Lee arguing in the distance. "They're not exactly quiet and neither are their vibrations."

Katara had been so lost in thought she hadn't even noticed the two get up. "But Toph seems fine," She pointed out. "And she's usually the one who keeps complaining about vibrations."

"Yeah, but Toph's also good at tuning out those two."

Katara nodded, resuming her post and watching Lee and Ying. She couldn't make out everything they were saying, but every now and then, she caught fragments of their conversation.

"…don't care…besides…rebels…ruined my life."

"…I _do _care and…not being fair…care…you…"

"She's killing him," Katara said, softly, watching the young couple argue.

"Lee?" Aang asked.

Katara nodded. "He's always trying to cheer her up or something but Ying keeps pushing Lee away. I hope..." Her voice trailed off and she didn't bother to finish her sentence.

What?" Aang prodded.

"You know they like each other, right?" Katara asked, turning to face the airbender.

"Who doesn't? Lee's constantly staring at Ying and she's a lot more distracted when he's around."

Katara shifted her gaze to watch them again. "Sometimes, that girl can be a complete idiot. I hope she realizes what she has before it's too late."

"Where's this coming from?"

"Experience," was Katara's reply.

"Experience?" the young monk repeated. "When did you…"

"The war in general," she replied.

"Katara, what on earth are you talking about?"

"Sometimes, you don't realize what you have until it's too late and…" Again, she let her voice trail away. She didn't tell Aang she was thinking about their awful experience in the catacombs at Ba Sing Se. She had told him once long ago, how frightened she had been, how lost and alone she had felt after he almost died, but that was years ago, when their relationship had been…different. Now, she wasn't sure if he still felt the same about her. According to the rebels that had kidnapped her, he had plenty of opportunities to meet other girls.

"Katara?"

She shook her head dismissively. "Never mind. You'll laugh or think I'm crazy."

"I won't laugh," Aang promised.

"The catacombs at Ba Sing Se," she blurted out. "I was thinking about the war and then the failure at Ba Sing Se and how stupid I was for not realizing how I felt. Now it's probably too late."

"Are you talking about when Azula…?"

Katara nodded.

"Oh." Aang frowned, remembering that Sokka had once told him Katara had been a mess after Azula had shot him. But then he remembered what Katara had said. _Now it's probably too late_. It took him a moment to understand what she meant, to decipher the hidden message underneath her words. And in spite of his promise, he burst out laughing.

"You said you wouldn't laugh," Katara reminded.

"I know, but I can't help it."

"What's so funny?" she demanded.

"You are."

"Me?" Katara repeated.

Aang nodded. "Katara, sometimes _you_ can be a complete idiot."

Now it was her turn to stare at him confused. "What did I do?"

"Nothing. It's what you said."

"What?" she asked, paling slightly at the thought of giving away too much.

"You said it's probably too late."

"So? What does that have to do with…?"

He cut her off with a kiss. "You're an idiot if you think my feelings have changed."

Katara scowled. "Yeah, I know." Aang started laughing again and Katara smiled, in spite of herself.

* * *

Azula sat in the darkness of her room and thought hard. She would have given anything to get back at Zuko and his friends, but she wanted to keep her freedom. That was what was bothering her. Even if she and Hama succeeded in getting revenge, they'd be thrown in jail the next place they went. Azula wanted a plan that not only worked, but also allowed her to keep her freedom. After all these years in a prison, she wasn't too keen on going back to jail.

She hadn't exactly promised Hama that she would help her get her revenge, but she knew Hama was right when she said that they had a better chance working together. Still, Azula couldn't say she _wanted_ to work with the old bloodbender. Her last partnership, with Mai and Ty Lee, had resulted in betrayal and there was always the possibility that Hama would betray her too. The old lady was definitely creepy enough, always popping up at random times and making cryptic remarks and cackling in a way that reminded Azula of the stories she had read as a child; they had been filled with evil old benders. Azula didn't want to have Hama turn against her, especially not when the old woman could bloodbend. So that was what caused Azula to make her final decision. She would work with Hama, but Hama wouldn't get what she expected from the Princess. With this in mind, Azula got up and went to find Hama.

She found the old bloodbender in the common room, a devious grin on her wrinkled face. She was evidently happy about something and Azula was determined to know what it was.

"Where are the rebels?" She asked, offhandedly, hoping a roundabout conversation would give her the answers she needed.

"They're just coming back from a little errand I sent them on," Hama admitted. "Get ready, Princess. Tonight's the night. We're leaving to find your brother and his friends. I dispatched some rebels to spy on them and they found out where they are."

Azula smiled, completely unaware that Zuko had long ago returned to the Fire Nation capital.

* * *

"Why are we out here?" Ying asked, following Katara through the forest. "It's too hot to do anything."

"You could use some practice," Katara answered, leading Ying to a small lake. "We both could."

"Why didn't you just ask Aang; he's a waterbender too."

"Yeah but he's busy and he doesn't need the practice. You do."

Ying didn't say anything but began practicing.

"You're stance is terrible," Katara commented. "And you're not paying attention."

"I know," Ying sighed, sitting down. "But I'm so distracted."

"This wouldn't have anything to do with Lee, would it?" she asked, slyly.

"Yes…I mean no. I don't know," Ying wailed. "I'm so confused."

"About what?" Katara demanded."What could you possibly be confused about?"

"Nothing and everything."

"You don't like him?"

Ying was momentarily taken aback by her straightforward question, but she answered it all the same. "I do; that's the problem."

"I don't understand," Katara said.

"I don't think you do," Ying agreed. "He's an earthbender and I'm a waterbender; we're not compatible."

Katara laughed. "That's the stupidest thing I ever heard. Who told you that? There are lots of people who are compatible even if they're different benders."

Ying frowned. "It's different for you and Aang, Katara. He's part waterbender so that makes you two compatible."

"Hey, I never said…"

"You didn't have to," Ying replied. "Sokka talks about you a lot. And besides, it's not like I hadn't heard about you all before I met you. It was never just Avatar Aang or Katara. Half the time, when people referred to you guys, it was Aang, Katara, and Sokka or Sokka, Katara, and Aang. Never one without the other."

"What's your point?" Katara asked, slightly confused.

"You and your friends come in pairs," Ying said. "I've never once heard a conversation just about Sokka. It's always about Sokka _and _Suki. And whenever anyone talks about Aang, they talk about you too."

"So just because people talk about Sokka and Suki, you think they're compatible?" Katara wondered.

"No," Ying admitted. "They balance each other out, I guess."

"And you don't think you and Lee balance each other out?"

"I don't know. Why am I telling you about this anyway?"

"Would you rather talk to Lee about it?" Katara asked. "I'm sure he'd be more than happy to help."

"Not funny," Ying muttered as the older girl burst out laughing.

"Sorry," Katara apologized. "But you know that being different doesn't make you any less compatible, right?"

"It's not only that," Ying said, blowing a strand of her hair away from her face. "I'm nervous; I've never felt this way before and it's strange and scary."

"It's not," Katara said. "You're just making it that way."

"How?" Ying demanded.

"You were the one who believed that you two weren't compatible. If you believe stuff like that, you're only going to complicate things. And you better tell Lee the truth before it's too late. You'll regret it if you don't"

"You think so?"

Katara nodded, thinking back to her conversation with Aang a few days ago. Even now, she had regretted not telling Aang the truth sooner. Ying remained silent, letting Katara's words sink in. She knew there was some truth behind what Katara said, but she wasn't sure she had the courage to tell Lee the truth. The thought of not being able to tell him though, scared her more. Even though Katara hadn't told her much, Ying knew she was speaking from experience when she said she'd regret not telling Lee the truth.

* * *

This is insufferable, Azula thought as she and Hama followed several rebels through the woods. When Hama had said they were going after her brother and his friends, she did not expect to have to walk through half the Earth Kingdom to get to them. Azula tried to ignore the irritation building within her and focused instead on her plan. She needed a way to transition from Hama's plan to _her _plan. She still hadn't told Hama about her plan, mainly because she was sure that the old lady would either bloodbend her into submission or try and kill her. In any case, Azula thought, throwing a sidelong glance at Hama, my plan is just for me.

Hama felt Azula's gaze upon her and smiled to herself. She had become aware that the Princess was watching her, but she honestly didn't care. She was getting revenge at last. The thought was enough to cheer her up and make her forget about all her troubles. The only thing still bothering her was Azula. The Princess was staring at her, her amber eyes glowing softly while she calculated something. Hama wanted to know what was going through the Princess's mind, but she kept silent; she didn't want to risk angering the princess and be shot by lightning before she even finished her mission. But I'll have to do something about her, Hama thought. Suddenly an idea dawned upon her. The moment she took down the Fire Lord and his friends, she and Azula would be number one on the Earth King's wanted listed. But if she betrayed Azula and turned her over to the Dai Lee or whatever agency was going to take charge of the matter and left, well then, they couldn't catch her. With this in mind, Hama began walking just a little but faster.

* * *

"What did you do to Ying to get her to act like that?" Toph whispered to Katara as they ate dinner.

"Nothing," the waterbender replied. "I just tried helping her."

"Whatever you did, it didn't work," the blind earthbender said. "She's jumpier than Twinkle Toes used to be around you."

Katara blushed. "That's not…"

Katara was interrupted by Lee who wanted to ask Toph to show him an earthbending move to impress Ying. Glaring at Katara, the blind earthbender followed Lee to a secluded spot in the woods where she showed him a simple yet elegant move she had learned. Lee spent half an hour trying to perfect the move, but after a while, he gave up.

"Listen, kid. You don't need an earthbending move to impress Ying."

"I don't?"

Toph shook her head. "Judging by her vibrations when she's around you, I'd say she already likes you. Just talk to her."

"You really think that would work?"

"I _know_ it will work," Toph said, making her way back to the camp. "The only way it won't work is if you chicken out."

Suki knew exactly what was going on between Ying and Lee so she wasn't entirely surprised when Lee and Toph returned from the woods and the younger earthbender launched himself into an animated conversation with Ying. The two were so lost in their conversation, that they didn't notice everyone else had fallen silent and was staring at them.

"Toph," Sokka whispered. "What did you tell him to do?"

Toph just grinned. "Nothing at all."

Sokka looked at Suki, but she just shrugged. She did find it strange that after a few days of arguing, Ying and Lee were on such good terms, but she didn't worry about it. She was happy that after losing her parents, Ying had found Lee.

"Oh look," Lee said, motioning to the sky. All eyes, except Katara's and Toph's, turned to follow his gaze. "It's a full moon."

Ying smiled. "It's a blood moon," she said, referring to the red-orange glow of the moon that hung low in the sky. "It's eerie, but pretty at the same time."

Katara's head jerked up at the mention of the blood moon and Toph glanced quizzically in her direction. She knew that Katara was always careful about waterbending during the full moon phase, but it had never really bothered her as much as it did now. Her vibrations had suddenly changed and though Toph couldn't guess exactly what her friend was thinking, she had a pretty good idea because Katara was suddenly distracted. Sokka called her name twice, but she didn't respond and when Suki tugged her braid, she still remained lost in thought. It took Ying and Lee together screaming her name to snap her out of her trance-like state.

"Are you okay?" Sokka asked when he had his sister's attention at last.

"Just fine," she muttered, her eyes blank and unfocused. Sokka groaned, knowing his sister still wasn't really paying attention. "Katara?"

"Really, Sokka. I'm fine." She smiled as if to prove her point, but her brother just frowned. Katara scowled at him and muttering something about waterbending, disappeared into the woods.

"What's with her?" Ying asked.

"Indigestion or stomach problems?" Lee suggested, causing Toph to hit him. "I don't know."

The blind earthbender grimaced as Aang went after Katara. "I do."

Katara stared at the reflection of the moon in the water and tried not to let it bother her. The night air was cool against her skin as it whipped strands of her hair into her face. The summer night was still considerably warm but despite that, she shivered. Even though she had done a good job of concealing it, she had been slightly shaken when she found out that Hama escaped. It wasn't the thought of what Hama could do to her that scared her; it was the thought of what Hama could do to the others that bothered her. And with Azula by her side, the old bloodbender posed an even bigger threat.

"Are you okay?" Aang asked, walking up to Katara. " You seem distracted all of a sudden."

She shrugged. "She'll most likely come today. It's a full moon."

"Hama? Are you sure?"

Katara shook her head. "Not really. But have you ever known something bad was going to happen without really knowing how or why you knew?"

Aang nodded, thinking back to his trip to the Eastern Air Temple. "Yeah." Katara didn't say anything so Aang beckoned for her to follow him back to the camp. "We should probably get back, then." Katara gave a small smile and followed him back through the woods.

By the time they reached the others, the camp was ablaze with eerie blue fire. Neither Aang nor Katara were surprised to find Hama, Azula, and several rebels prepared to attack, though Ying and Lee looked completely caught off guard.

"We we wondering when you'd show up," Azula mocked, twirling a strand of her hair around her fingers. "It would have been too easy with you and my brother."

Katara rolled her eyes. "Zuko's not here, Azula. He left a long time ago."

Azula frowned at Hama and rebels, irritated that they had neglected to tell her so. "Well, it doesn't matter. In any case…"

"Oh for spirits sake," Hama cried, tired of listening to Azula's ceaseless chatter. "Shut up and attack already."

Sokka burst out laughing but he was silenced by several rebels firebending in his direction. For a split second after that, no one seemed to move. Then, all of a sudden, everyone launched into action. There was so much chaos and confusion with all the elements being bent that at first, Ying and Lee had no idea what to do or who to attack. But they soon found themselves pitted against Azula and another rebel with Suki and Toph nearby.

Ying and Lee were both good benders, but Azula easily matched them. Even though she hadn't used any lightning, she was still good enough to nearly burn them and give them several bruises. But they fought on anyway. It seemed like hours before the rebel went down and even longer still before Azula began to tire. Lee used the princess's lack of energy to his advantage and earthbended her into a tree trunk. Although Azula was tiring, she easily snapped the tree in two, causing it to fall. Toph heard a sickening crunch as the tree fell on top of her and Suki.

"Suki?" She called, ignoring the pain in her leg. "Suki?" Toph felt Suki's faint vibrations next to her. "What just happened?"

"We're stuck," Suki said, panicking. "This tree is too heavy to move."

"Can't you cut it in half or something?"

"I don't have knives like Mai," Suki cried, desperately trying to get move the tree. "Are you okay, Toph?"

"Other than a broken leg, doing great," the earthbender said as Suki continued to struggle to move the tree. "Eh, just leave it Suki. Looks like we're grounded for a while."

Suki sighed, giving up. "I hope Sokka's having better luck than we are."

Azula watched in shock as Ying and Lee took down several rebels. This fight was getting a bit out of hand for her tastes. She didn't like to be on the losing side. Azula watched the Avatar airbend several rebels out of his path before turning to help the waterbender. And suddenly, Azula remembered something. The thought made her shiver. What if the Avatar decided to take away her bending like he had done to her father?

"I'm not losing my bending," Azula muttered to herself. "It's time to put my plan in action." She beckoned for a nearby rebel to follow. He and the other uninjured rebels followed Azula to the woods.

"I'm really sorry it has to end this way," she said. "But if I don't turn you in, I don't get to keep my freedom and I want to be free."

"You're betraying us?" a rebel asked.

Azula nodded. "I really am sorry," she said, before hitting each and every rebel with just enough firebending to knock them unconscious and disappearing into the night.

Sokka knew he really should stayed by Katara and Aang to reduce the chances of being bloodbended, but somehow or other, he had gotten separated. Perhaps that was why Hama had decided to use him as her puppet again; Sokka really couldn't say. All he knew was that he was walking towards a bunch of rebels and he couldn't stop. Hama suddenly changed his course and his hand reached for his fallen sword. Sokka tried resisting, but Hama was too strong. She set him moving again and Sokka gasped in horror as he saw his target.

"Katara," he cried, as he involuntarily launched forward, brandishing his sword. "Look out."

Katara wheeled around, but it was too late. She winced in pain as Sokka's sword made contact with her skin.

* * *

**A/N: **Thank you for all the reviews :)

~Cassidy


	8. Chapter VII: Together

Chapter VII: Together

Sokka had known from the day his father had left the tribe to fight in the war, that there was a possibility that he might one day, under bizarre circumstances, have to watch his sister die. Now, as her fallen figure lay before him, he was struck with the sudden realization that he, Sokka, her own _brother_ might have killed her. The thought was sickening; it made him want to run his sword through himself, but Katara's shallow breathing prevented him from doing so. The signs of life she displayed, though, hardly cheered him up. If Hama had moved her hand slightly, his sword could have easily found her heart. It made him shudder to think of how close he had come to actually killing her.

Once, long ago, Katara remembered wondering what it felt like to die. Now, as she lay on the ground, she thought she knew. Perhaps that was an overstatement; the pain told her she was very much alive. But she had vaguely pictured dying like this when she was younger. She had just never thought that it would be so dramatic, being pierced by a sword.

The fight was still going on. It seemed like the rebels were losing, but she couldn't be sure; the pain was enough to make anyone crazy. Honestly, she was surprised she was still conscious. Even the tiniest movement brought on a wave of pain that threatened to send her into darkness. So as her brother and friends fought on around her, Katara just lay on the grass, clutching her side and somehow hoping that the rebels would lose and retreat.

"Where's Hama?" Sokka demanded as Aang earthbended two rebels away from the warrior. A grim expression was plastered on his face and he looked miserable.

"I haven't seen her," Aang admitted. "She went after Lee, I think."

Sokka groaned. "She can't…"

"She wouldn't care if she hurt him," Aang pointed out. "She's so bent on revenge she doesn't even care what she does to get it."

"But she…" Sokka began. He was cut short by a high pitched scream. Ying was pointing at Lee and looking terrified. "Oh no."

Katara's eyes fluttered open at the shrill noise and ignoring the pain, she stood up. She was surprised to find that only Hama and a few rebels remained and that Azula had disappeared altogether. Hama must have scared her away, she thought as she watched the old woman bloodbend. Her eyes darted around the clearing. Hama's hands were moving unbelievably fast and at first, Katara couldn't see who it was she was controlling. But as Ying let out another shriek, it became glaringly obvious.

"Cut that out," Lee demanded as Hama manipulated him. Hama smirked as she made his hand reach for a fallen sword. He struggled against her control but to no avail.

"She's going to make him attack us," Ying cried as Lee brandished the sword. But his hand curled so that the sword was pointing to him. Ying gaped at Hama and she grinned. Her hand swung out in an arc, bringing Lee's hand and sword back. As her hand came forward, Lee gave a tiny cry as the sword cut through his skin.

Her hands were moving before she even realized she was bending. Faster than she thought possible, Katara began bloodbending. Once, she would have been averse to using the art, but now, she used it without fear. She had experienced enough and learned enough about bloodbending to know that hesitation meant death. Hama's hand remained poised in the air, unable to move. Try as she might, the bloodbender couldn't bend.

"What's she doing?" Ying demanded.

"She can't bend," Sokka pointed out. "She's being bloodbended." He looked over his shoulder and sure enough, he saw Katara standing a few feet behind him. Sokka didn't know whether to laugh because she was alive or feel upset because she was bloodbending. When she caught his gaze, her hands fell limply to her sides and Hama regained control of her art.

"Foolish girl," she hissed. "You shouldn't have done that."

Lee's hand brandished the sword again but this time, the blade was pointing at Ying. Like a puppet, Lee moved forward and though he struggled against Hama's control, it was useless. His expression as he continued to move forward was one of pure horror and he kept yelling at Ying to move. The waterbender, for her part, remained rooted to the ground, her eyes transfixed on the blade that glinted in the evening sunlight.

From the instant Hama had taught her bloodbending, Katara swore she would never use the art on anyone, especially her friends. She had already broken the first part of that promise on several occasions though she had yet to bloodbend any of her friends. But Lee couldn't fight against Hama and Ying looked like she couldn't move. So Katara bloodbended the younger waterbender away without giving it a second thought. Ying jerked away just seconds before the blade could hit her. Lee's sword was still swinging though and Katara effortlessly exerted her control over him as well. She was surprised by how easy it was to control two people at once. When Hama had done it all those years ago, it seemed like it required a lot of energy. But other than the pain that Sokka's sword inflicted upon her, she felt fine.

"I'm out of here," one of the few remaining rebels said. "You're on your own, woman."

Hama muttered something under her breath and her hands dropped to her sides. Her amber eyes were burning brightly as she glared at Katara and the others. She looked like she wanted to say something, but instead, she turned around and disappeared the way she came.

"Stupid lady," Sokka muttered. "She's so old she's going to kill herself bending like that. She could barely walk away."

"You're not going to go after her?" Lee mused.

Sokka shook his head. "She can't do anything to us, anyway. Besides, I think she'll look for Azula and pick a fight with her. She ditched Hama in the middle of this thing. Where are Suki and Toph?"

"You controlled me," Ying said, looking at Katara who had come to join them. She stood a few feet away, her eyes a dull blue and wandering around the clearing. Sokka looked at his sister, noticing for the first time how pale she looked. She looked sick and tired and her hands and dress were stained with her own blood. He started to say something, but she cut him off.

"You're bleeding," she said, quietly, motioning to his arm. He hadn't even noticed the gash until now.

"I guess I am," he admitted. Without waiting for him to ask her, Katara began healing him. Ying and Lee just watched. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Katara replied.

"You're lying," Aang said, quietly.

"And you look awful," Sokka added, giving a small smile.

Katara didn't say anything so Lee spoke up.

"Thank you, Katara, for saving my life. I don't know what you did to that Hama woman, but it saved me. Another minute and I would have been dead."

"What exactly did you do?" Ying wondered. "It was like you controlled us. It seems like a good and useful art."

"Useful?" Katara repeated, meeting her gaze. "There's nothing useful about it except when…"

"But you just saved our lives," Ying protested. "It's a good thing."

"It's _useful_ at times like that," Katara admitted. "But it never was and never will be a good thing." Ying fell silent after that.

Hours later, as they sat together helping each other with cuts and bruises and bandages, Ying brought up the subject again.

"What exactly is bloodbending? I've never heard of it."

Katara didn't respond so Suki spoke up. "It's using waterbending to control people."

"Is that even possible?"

"You saw for yourself," Suki replied, helping Sokka bandage his arm.

"How?"

"There's water inside everyone. Even if we can't see it."

"I never thought about that."

"Not many have, I guess."

"Could you teach me, Katara?"

Katara nearly fell off her chair. "Absolutely not."

"Why not?" Ying pleaded. "I'll be a good student, I promise."

"That's what she's afraid of," Toph muttered, flexing her broken leg and wincing a little in pain. "Stupid leg," she muttered. "Don't know how I'm, going to earthbend now."

"But I don't understand," Ying said.

"No, you don't," Katara snapped. "It's nothing like waterbending. It's dangerous in the wrong hands."

"You think I'll suddenly turn evil, like Hama?"

"No. but it's always a possibility. Hama was on our side, you know?"

"She was?"

"Hardly," Sokka spat.

"Ignore him," Katara said, frowning at her brother. "She was fighting against the Fire Nation just like us. She was just doing it the wrong way."

"But I wouldn't misuse it," Ying protested. "I…"

"That's how it started with Hama. She used it to free herself from a Fire Nation prison and then started using it to hurt people. Now look at her. She'll probably kill Azula if she finds her again."

"Honestly, I completely forgot about her. Do you think Azula will go after Zuko?"

Katara shrugged. "She won't win though. She's not the firebender she was and I think she knows that."

"She and Hama still did some damage, though," Lee pointed out. "Especially Hama."

"I still don't understand why you won't teach me bloodbending," Ying said to Katara. "If bloodbending is the only way to defeat her, why are you so hesitant to teach me?"

"Because you have a choice. I didn't. If you want to learn bloodbending that bad, try learning it on your own. I'm not teaching you."

"I can't," Ying objected. "Why can't…"

"I'd rather die than teach you bloodbending," was all Katara said.

Ying just blinked. "You don't mean that."

"Yes I do," she replied, meeting her gaze. Ying opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. And luckily for Katara, she never mentioned it again.

* * *

Azula stared at her reflection in the lake and frowning, kicked a pebble into the water, disturbing the image. She hated what she had become, how she had fallen. Once, she could have conjured up a brilliant plan, a plan that not only worked, but one that was so cunning, so perfect, that there was no room for error. Once, in the blink of an eye, she could have relied on anyone to do her bidding. But now, she was alone. Free, but all alone. She gazed up at the sky where a lone bird circled high above the treetops. She grimaced. She hated the loneliness, but it a small price to pay for being free.

From somewhere behind her, Azula noticed something move. She spun around, surprised to find Hama watching her silently. Her eyes were glinting with anger, but Azula met her gaze. _Foolish woman_, her eyes seemed to say. _You should have expected something like this from me_. Hama raised an eyebrow at her. She seemed to be waiting for Azula to say something, but the princess just kept silent. Minutes, hours, an eternity must have passed, but neither one said anything. At last, Azula fixed her gaze on the Fire Nation capital in the distance. Throwing a careless glance at Hama and smirking a little as she did so, the Fire Nation princess slipped away.

* * *

"Sokka, you've been staring at the piece of paper for ten minutes," Suki pointed out. "What is so interesting about it?"

"I'm just trying to sink it in," the warrior mumbled. "It's… unbelievable."

"What?" Toph demanded. When Sokka didn't respond, she frowned. "Sokka, if my leg wasn't broken, I'd earthbend you straight into a wall. What on earth is so interesting about that sheet of paper?"

"It's not anything political, is it?" Lee wondered, idly rearranging the bandages Katara had put on him until she stopped him. He gave her an apologetic smile.

"It's from Zuko," Sokka explained. "He said he was going to send a bunch of his men to get the rebels but they were found bound and gagged on his doorstep, literally. Apparently, when he asked them who brought them there, they all said Azula."

"_Azula_?" Toph echoed. "You're sure it was her."

"Read the note for yourself." Sokka said.

Toph's cast met Sokka's foot.

"Sorry," he replied, wincing.

"I can't see Azula becoming good," Suki said. "It's just not her."

"Zuko says that she told the rebels that she was doing it just to keep her freedom."

"That sounds more like her," Aang said. "She probably turned them in so she could remain free."

"But if Zuko catches her, won't she end up in jail again?" Ying wondered.

Sokka nodded. "She will, but something tells me she won't let herself get caught. And neither will Hama."

* * *

Azula stared at the city that stretched out before her. It felt strange to be back home, back amongst people she had once controlled. But that feeling paled in comparison to the nameless fear that stole upon her then. Her future had seemed set in stone; she had always been certain, so sure, that she would have become Firelord; the position had practically been hers from the moment Ozai declared himself Phoenix King. But it was Zuko who was sitting on the throne now, not her. And while Zuko's future was decided, hers was not; it stretched out before her like the landscape. But while the landscape was clear and distinct, her future was indeterminate and unpredictable. She didn't know what she would do now. There was no one for her to turn to for help, but then again, Azula never really needed help. She only needed people below her to remind herself that she was perfect in every way possible.

From the time she was little, Azula had been meticulous in everything she did; there was no room for error. But life in prison had taught her that no matter what light she viewed herself in, she was bound to make a few mistakes. After her imprisonment, errors had become more common and it was just something she had learned to live with. So she wasn't too scared about facing her future or making mistakes. After all, one couldn't be expected to be perfect all the time. Perhaps this act in itself was a mistake. She might have been slightly crazy, but she was smart enough to know that staying in the Fire Nation was dangerous. After everything she had done, Zuko wasn't going to forgive her. But she was going to stay all the same. It was her home, the only place she had. Perhaps, she could find a place to work, save enough money, get her own house, and then begin the arduous task of reclaiming the world in the name of her father. Or perhaps, she could actually try (dare she say it?) becoming good or reformed or whatever Zuko had once told her to do. Pursing her lips, Azula swept her gaze over the city one last time before turning her back on it and disappearing to the outskirts. She would see what her unpredictable future had in store for her.

* * *

For the first time in a long time, Ying was truly content. In spite of everything that had happened, she felt happy. Losing her parents had been a terrible blow, but she was surrounded by real friends, friends who actually cared about her, and Lee. She felt so much better now that she had told Lee the truth. The fear, the nervousness- it was worth every second. Nothing felt better than knowing that she had told Lee the truth and that he loved her back. And for the first time, she felt like she belonged. Her parents were gone, but like Katara had said, she was never alone. She always had her friends and Lee.

* * *

"This is really unfair," Katara said, watching Ying and Lee in the distance. They were in an animated conversation while practicing bending. "How come Lee gets to bend and I can't?"

"Because I said so," Sokka replied. "No bending for you until you're all healed."

"But I'm not even sick. I…"

"If I catch you bending," Sokka said, feigning anger. "I'll get Aang to earthbend you to the ground."

"You're an idiot," Katara said, shaking her head. But she was smiling. "Can I at least…?"

"No. No bending, working, moving or …"

"Sokka, I'm fine, really. How come you're not fussing over Lee?"

"Because he's not my little sister."

"I'm not that little anymore," Katara shot back. "Honestly, Sokka, you knew I wasn't going to be that helpless little girl forever. And you can't keep being so overprotective all the time."

"I'm sorry," he said, trying to calm her down. "But I don't trust you enough to let you move around just yet. Knowing you, you'll work yourself to death instead of letting your injury heal."

"Sokka," she groaned. "I can't just sit around and do nothing."

"Sure you can. Just look at Toph. She hasn't moved all day."

"She's got a broken leg, Sokka. She _can't_ move."

But Sokka had already gotten up and started walking away. Katara just glared at his retreating figure before sighing and staring listlessly ahead. It was infuriating and completely unfair that Sokka was treating her like a baby, but he had a point, even if she was unwilling to admit it.

"You look like you could use some company," Aang said coming to sit beside her.

Katara frowned slightly. "What I could use is a boomerang. How far away is Sokka?"

Aang laughed. "You're not still mad at him are you?"

Katara nodded. "He's being completely unreasonable. Lee almost got killed, but he gets to bend. I can't work, move, or bend. It's so irritating."

"It's only for a little while."

"It's still too long," she grumbled, watching Ying who had suddenly enveloped Lee in what looked like a bone crushing hug and given him a kiss. "At least someone's happy." the waterbender grumbled.

"You're not?" Aang wondered.

"No. Are you?"

He grinned devilishly. "Possibly."

Katara stared at him. "What do you mean _possibly?_ And why are you smiling at me like that?"

"Was I smiling?" he teased as she broke out into laughter.

"Yes," she laughed, clutching her side. "So stop it; it makes me laugh and laughing hurts."

He grinned wider. "I think I can help."

"What are you…?"

He silenced her with a kiss and for a moment, Katara forgot all about the pain. But seconds later, they both burst out laughing.

"You know what the best part is?" Aang asked, after Katara's giggles had subsided and she had fallen back.

She looked up inquiringly at him. "What?"

"It doesn't take much to make you laugh." He replied, his silver eyes twinkling mischievously.

"You wouldn't," she dared, understanding what he meant.

"Try me," he challenged. "You're not allowed to move, remember?"

"That's hardly fair."

He grinned that goofy grin that threatened to send her into a fit of giggles again. "Like you ever play fair," he teased.

Katara smiled. There was some truth, she supposed, in what he said. But still, the game was hardly fair. Sometimes, just his presence made her laugh. Then again, he just might offer to _help_ her again. She wasn't completely against _that_.

"I suppose," she said, her eyes sparkling just as brightly. "It would be rude of me to refuse the Avatar?" She wanted to laugh again. When had she ever been able to refuse him?

"Absolutely," he agreed. When she started laughing again, he shook his head.

"What?" she demanded between giggles and trying hard to ignore the pain.

"You make it too easy, Katara."

"No thanks to you." Her laughter started again but stopped when the pain started once more. But when Aang kissed her again, she forgot all about it. Honestly, sometimes she hated how he could just make her lose her focus, break her concentration, and make her forget everything she was going to say. She hated how every logical thought that was running through her mind suddenly stopped and how her mind became blank. This time, however, she welcomed the distraction. If nothing else, it made her forget about the pain that lanced through her every now and then, but more importantly it erased any doubts she had been having earlier. All those stupid ideas that the rebels had implanted in her head, the crazy ones she had invented; they all just vanished. And best of all, Katara realized, it made her punishment (or whatever it was that Sokka had sentenced her to), bearable. As long as she and Aang were together, nothing else really mattered.

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry for not updating in such a long time. I've had so much work to do lately, I haven't had time to work on this until recently. Hopefully i can update my other story faster. In the meantime, please review and thank you for all the wonderful reviews I've gotten so far :)

~ Cassidy Alice


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